Something New
by castingcurses
Summary: A story in which Regina Mills asks her best friend, Robin Locksley, to help her get pregnant and learns to give true love a second chance along the way. OutlawQueen, post-season 3 AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been wanting to write a fanfiction like this for forever, so I'm excited to say I've finally worked out a plot! Now, let me explain the timeline.**

 **This story takes place, say, a year after season 3, but it takes a bit of an alternate turn. Robin and Regina never got together, Zelena was completely defeated and never went back in time, therefore, Marian never came back. Robin and Regina simply became very close friends after everything settled down and everything fell into a... Normal state.**

 **Now that that's clarified, here we go! I hope you enjoy. And a penny for your thoughts would be great! :)**

 **Also, don't worry. I'm still working on "Kidnap My Heart". Updates for this fic may be a little slower because of that, but I'll try to alternate. If it becomes too much, I'll put this on hold until I finish "Kidnap My Heart".**

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"Hello?" Regina inquired as she picked up the phone, quickly tucking it against her shoulder and ear. She shifted Liam's weight in her arms as the two-month-old baby fussed, begging for the bottle she was warming up for him.

"Regina," a familiar voice said over the phone. "It's Robin. You were supposed to meet me at Granny's for dinner at seven."

Regina's eyes widened and she looked over at the clock above the refrigerator. It was seven-thirty on the dot. She heaved a sigh, letting her shoulders sag. "Robin, I'm so, so sorry," she apologized. "Emma and Killian wanted to go out tonight and so I offered to watch the twins and Henry. I completely forgot about our plans."

"It's alright," Robin said on the other line. "Three kids. That sounds like a handful. Do you want me to come over and help?"

"No, I'm alright," Regina said, but little Liam chose that precise moment to start screaming for his bottle, his voice going straight through the phone.

She could practically feel that smirk on Robin's face and she sighed a little. "Are you sure?" Robin asked. "Or are you just being stubborn as usual?"

Regina frowned a little. "Fine. You can come over and help out," she complied. "If you bring me dinner."

"You got it. What do you want?" Robin asked.

"Are you still at Granny's?" Regina inquired and once Robin informed that he was, she said, "Grab me a grilled cheese and fries? Henry will want a cheeseburger."

"Of course," Robin replied. "However, I do recall you telling Emma that she ate like a child the last time she had grilled cheese in front of you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just bring the food and get your ass over here before the twins drive me insane."

"See? You do need me," Robin said smugly.

"If these were normal twins, no, I'd be just fine, but you're forgetting that these are the children of Killian and Emma Jones, two of the most annoying people in Storybrooke," Regina replied, huffing in annoyance as she grabbed Liam's bottle and went to sit on the couch. "And when you get over here, Leia will be up from her nap and in need of a bottle, so you can feed her."

"What about Luke?" Robin inquired.

Regina rolled her eyes. "For the last time, his name is Liam, not Luke. And he's the one screaming at the top of his lungs right now."

"Right. Liam, Liam, Liam," Robin mumbled to get it stuck in his head. Ever since Henry and Roland had gotten Robin to watch _Star Wars_ just a few days after Liam and Leia were born so that he would understand Leia's namesake, he'd gotten into calling Liam, Luke and it had always annoyed Regina. "Okay. I'll be over in a few. See you then."

"Bye," Regina replied and hung up the phone. She set it down and moved to cradle a screaming Liam in her arms, moving to brush the nipple of the bottle over his lips.

After a few moments, the baby's cries had settled and he latched on to the bottle, beginning to suckle, his little hands kneading the collar of Regina's blouse. Regina sighed in relief as the house went quiet again, besides the muffled sound of Henry's video game upstairs.

Regina hummed a soft lullaby and gently rocked back and forth to soothe the infant in her arms. Liam closed his brilliant blue eyes, a peaceful expression on his face. Regina didn't know how Emma and Killian dealt with twins. Just taking care of Henry alone when he was a baby was stressful enough. She could only imagine taking care of two babies at once as a single mother.

However, as she stared down into Liam's precious face, she couldn't help but think how nice it would be to take care of a baby again. However hard, Henry had been such a blessing. But, he was getting older and more independent, no longer reliable on his mother's care and affection. Regina also had to share. Every week he would alternate between mothers, spending a week with Emma and Killian, and the next with Regina.

As soon as the thought came to mind, Regina pushed it away. There wasn't any chance of her having a child of her own. Regina had taken that away from herself many years ago, because nobody would love her enough to give her that, and she couldn't let her mother get her hands on any child Regina had. But Regina had been right about a man never loving her. There wasn't any man in her life that would want to give her a child of her own. Besides, the adoption process was grueling and Regina didn't want to go through that again. She'd just have to settle with babysitting Liam, Leia, and the Charmings' one-year-old, Neal. But, as much as she tried to convince herself of that, she still thought that it would be nice to finally have a child of her own.

 _No, Regina. Don't think that way or you'll be emotional before Robin gets here,_ she warned herself _._

Luckily, it was then that there was a knocking on the door, breaking Regina from her thoughts. Regina was getting up to answer when a loud barking erupted from Henry's room and the eight-month-old, ninety-pound bloodhound that Henry had convinced Regina to get him came bounding down the stairs.

"Copper! Copper, no, you're going to wake–" Regina was cut off by Liam and Leia, who was napping in the other room, crying in unison. Wonderful. That blasted dog. Now they had two babies to calm down because of him. "Henry, come get your dog!" Regina called.

With no regards for his squalling half-siblings, Henry came bounding down the stairs after Copper and grabbed the dog by the collar as the animal lunged at the door.

Regina sighed and went to answer the door, already looked frazzled. Robin stepped inside, immediately making the trade, a bag of Granny's to-go for the fussy baby in Regina's arms.

"Henry, take Copper outside," Regina said as the dog danced around Robin's feet, jumping up with excitement. Copper had always adored Robin and gave him a very excited greeting each time he visited. "Hurry, before he knocks Robin over!" Regina said as the hound nearly made Robin trip.

Henry dragged the dog away, who whimpered and yipped to be let free to greet Robin.

"Regina, you go take that food and sit down. I've got the babies," Robin said.

"But now that Leia's awake, both of them need–"

"Go. I've got it," Robin interrupted.

Regina sighed and nodded, handing Robin Liam's bottle. "Alright. Her bottle's in the fridge. Just turn the tap on warm and heat it when you're done with Liam."

"I've got a better method," Robin said, and disappeared in the direction of Leia's crying.

Regina smiled a little and took the bag of food into the kitchen, setting it down on the counter. Henry came in through the back door and followed his nose to where Regina was. Now that he was twelve, at that stage where he would soon go from boyhood to manhood, Henry was always eating and he had the cheeseburger Robin had gotten him to his mouth before he reached the table to sit down.

Regina took her grilled cheese and fries and took them to sit beside Henry. The two of them shared the fries as they ate their food and Regina asked Henry about how he's doing and how he's coping with the babies. He seemed to be doing alright and shared that he enjoyed helping his mother care for his siblings especially now that they'd hit the two month mark and were a little more interesting.

After they'd eaten, Henry let Copper back inside for his dinner before heading back upstairs to continue whatever video game he was playing on his X-Box 360. Regina cleaned up the kitchen before heading in to find Robin with two slumbering babies in his arms, one curled up on one shoulder and the second twin snuggled against the other. As she joined Robin on the couch, she held her hands out and Robin helped transfer little, sweet Leia into her arms.

Regina settled Leia against her shoulder, the baby's head falling into the crook of her neck. She took to cradling Leia's head there, running her fingers through the downy blond hair on the baby's head and also rubbed soothing circles on her back. The baby continued to doze as Regina grabbed the remote off the coffee table to turn the TV on.

"What do you want to watch?" Regina asked Robin as she turned the volume down low so the babies could sleep and began flipping through channels. She felt eyes on her and turned to find Robin staring at her intently so she waved the remote in front of his face. "Robin," she said, her voice a little sharper.

It seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. Robin smiled sheepishly as if he were a toddler caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Sorry, just thinking," he said with a shrug. "We can watch whatever," he replied.

Regina nodded and settled for a rerun of _I Love Lucy_ after looking through the list of shows. She got settled in, her shoulder leaning against Robin's as the two of them cuddled the babies and occupied themselves with the movie. Well, at least Regina was. More so than she usually would have been but she could blame that on the fact that Robin kept glancing over at her with an expression in his eyes that Regina found startling – not in a bad way, in a good sort of way.

"What are you thinking about?" Regina asked after a moment of feeling his soft gaze on her.

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "Just seeing you sitting there with a baby..." he began and Regina's breath hitched, not wanting to tell him the story if he said anything about how it might be nice if she had a baby now that Henry was older. "Makes me think of how good a mother you are."

Regina felt herself relax a little and she turned to shrug at Robin. "I'm not that great. I just like children, that's all."

" _Like_?" Robin scoffed. "You _love_ children, even if they're the children of two of the most annoying people in Storybrooke, as you put it. And you're great with them too," he said, his voice softening. "If you recall, you're the one Emma and Mary Margaret turn to if they have a question about babies. They know you've raised one and raised one well."

Regina smiled a little, feeling a blush creeping into her cheeks if the warmth that began to sneak in was any indication. "Thanks, Robin."

The former thief grinned cheekily. "No thanks needed, milady," he said. "When do Emma and Killian return?"

Regina looked down at her watch to find it was now eight-fifteen. "They'll be here at nine, so we've got less than an hour."

Robin nodded and patted Liam's back. "Let's just hope these little guys can manage a forty-five minute nap."

Regina rolled her eyes playfully. "You aren't the one who's spent time with them since six. Liam and Leia are very fussy babies. As whiny as their mother," she said.

"Oh stop," Robin said with a soft chuckle. "We both know you love these little ones and that Emma's one of your closest friends."

Regina laughed a little, looking down at the sleeping infant in her arms. "Yes, I do adore the twins. And their mother is alright, sometimes."

"I guess that's as good as I'm going to get out of you," Robin said and Regina nodded, earning a chuckle from him.

At about this time, ole' Copper sauntered his way into the living room. The bloodhound was big and bulky for being just eight months old, and quite a good dog, even if he did have an issue with failing to realize how big and powerful he was. He'd knocked Regina down on more occasions than one when greeting her when she got home from work, and even though she tried not to act very fond of the hound, when her house was empty save her and Copper, she found him to be good company.

"You know, I never thought you'd let Henry get a dog," Robin commented as Copper made his way towards the couple, sniffing at the hardwood floor.

"Well, he kept begging and he's always wanted one and as big and ugly as Copper is now, he was cute as a puppy, and had a face even I couldn't resist," Regina said.

"Oh come on, Copper isn't ugly. He's certainly a large dog but that big, wrinkly, downcast face is cute. Even if he looks like a kicked puppy all the time," Robin said and clicked his tongue to call the dog over.

Copper loved Regina but if there was one person he was just as fond of, it was Robin. The dog bounded over excitedly, tail wagging, tongue hanging dumbly out of his mouth, and he nudged Robin's free hand with his big nose, begging to be petted, in which the former thief complied.

"Why that dog loves you, I have no idea," Regina commented.

Robin looked up, feigning offense. "Oh, now come on, Regina, I'm a lovable guy," he said, rubbing Copper's head. "Besides, I pay more attention to him than you do."

"I happen to not like animals," Regina said, deciding to leave the fact alone that she did pay attention to Copper when nobody was around and they were both missing Henry's company.

Robin rolled his eyes and scratched behind Copper's long, velvety ears. "Whatever you say," he replied.

Henry bounded down the steps then and made his way over to his mother, sitting down beside her. "Hi, Robin," he greeted, chuckling when the thief made a face as Copper abandoned him for Henry. The bloodhound hopped up on the couch and plopped down in Henry's lap as the boy let out an _oof_!

"Henry, you know how I feel about the dog on the couch," Regina warned.

"Mom, I've seen you cuddling with Copper on the couch before," Henry whined, making a face.

Regina frowned a little and gave her son a look. "I have never done that," she said.

"Yes, you have," Henry replied, wrapping his arms around Copper's thick neck as the dog turned his head up to lick Henry's chin.

Regina heaved a sigh. "Alright, he can sit here just this once," she said.

The three of them, plus the dog, and the sleeping twins, curled up together on the couch to watch TV. Before they knew it, it was nine o'clock and the doorbell rang. Luckily, the babies were still asleep and now their parents would get to deal with the twins once they woke up.

Regina went to answer the door, Leia still asleep on her shoulder and she smiled at the couple returning home. "Good evening. How was it?" Regina asked.

"It went well. And it was a much needed break from the twins," Emma said with a small smile. "Thank you for watching them for us."

"No problem," Regina replied. "They weren't too much of a problem, except for when they got hungry," she reported with a soft chuckle.

Killian smiled a little. "Aye. The little lad and lass have bellies always as hungry as their cries are loud," he said.

"Come on in. I'll grab their things and you all can be on your way," Regina said as she stepped aside for the Jones's to enter the house.

Emma took Leia from Regina's arms as the brunette went around to grab their blankets, bottles, and diaper bag. She returned to find Emma, Killian, and Henry all talking with Robin, who still held a sleeping Liam.

"You two really wore these babies out," Emma said as Regina returned, smiling at the twins. "Maybe I'll send them to you more often," she joked.

"I'd sure love it," Regina said as she got the bottles put into the diaper bag and made sure everything would be easy for the parents to leave with two babies and all their belongings.

As the couple got ready to leave, Emma tossed Regina a small smile. "You love taking care of the twins and Neal. Have you ever considered having a child?" Emma asked.

Regina's breath hitched in her throat, but she tried not to let her discomfort show. She shrugged her shoulders and managed a small smile. "I have Henry," she said.

"I know," Emma replied. "But another baby. Maybe one of your own?"

Regina wanted nothing more than to crawl away and hide, to dig herself deeper into the void of guilt she lived with for her past actions. _I can't!_ That's what she wanted to scream, but instead settled with, "I'm not with a man. I've been single for years. And I doubt many guys would want to father the Evil Queen's child."

"Regina..." came Robin's stern warning voice. He'd been a stickler for not letting Regina talk down about herself, especially in his presence.

Emma smiled a little, her eyes flitting between the two as if wordlessly trying to state the obvious, but neither seemed to catch on. "Very well. But I think you'd be surprised. I know for certain that there's a good father for your child right under your nose."

Henry got a disgusted look on his face as he made his way to the door, followed by Emma and Killian. His cheeks flushed red. He'd obviously gotten the picture of just who his mother was talking about, just at the precise moment that it dawned on Regina.

 _Robin_. Emma meant Robin.

And with one glance, the look on her best friend's face confirmed that he had gotten the sheriff's meaning, too. Regina clenched her fists and glared as the Jones family made their retreat, cursing Emma for, once again, meddling in business that was not hers.

With the door shut behind them, Regina realized that she was now alone with Robin, the man Emma had just suggested father her child (and the dog, of course).

Why was Regina even saying it like that in her head? There would never be her child. She had taken that away from herself years ago.

"I'm assuming you have Roland to get back to?" Regina asked Robin, deciding to shake these thoughts from her mind.

"Not for a while yet. John should have put him to bed for me," Robin said. "I didn't know what time we would be getting back after dinner."

Regina cringed. "I'm so sorry about that. Truly."

"It's alright, milady," Robin assured with a soft smile. "Now, I do believe we have a little time together so if you'd like to watch a movie or something, I'm free."

Regina nodded and led the way to the couch. They plopped down again and before Copper could beat Regina by putting his head in Robin's lap, she stuck her feet there. Robin smirked at her and began to massage her feet, because he always knew that that's what she wanted when she propped her feet up like that. The two of them got settled in and Regina pulled up Netflix to search for a movie.

"So, if you don't mind me being nosey, what's the real reason you don't want a baby?" Robin asked in that quiet voice he always used when he wasn't sure if Regina would answer his question and also to let her know she didn't have to.

Regina shrugged. "It's true what I said," she replied. Well, that was half of it anyways.

"We both know that you aren't concerned with your relationship to whoever the father would be, as long as he is someone you trusted," Robin said, giving the bottom of Regina's foot a light tickle, causing her to squirm and suppress a giggle. "Besides, who could resist Regina Mills?"

Regina felt her cheeks grow warm at Robin's words and she knew she was blushing. She let her hair fall in her face to hide it. "I don't let men crawl into my bed so easily, Locksley, so he would be disappointed. I'd be taking him to the clinic so he could donate a sperm."

"This world and its crazy modern technology," Robin mumbled. "So are you gonna do it?" he asked.

Regina shook her head. "Of course not. I can't."

"Why can't you?" Robin inquired, that soft tone taking over again and that's when Regina realized what she said.

Maybe she should tell him. After all, Robin was her best friend and she trusted him with every other secret about herself that nobody else knew. What harm was one more? Maybe then he would leave her alone after this.

With a sigh, Regina set the remote down and pulled her feet away from Robin, tucking her knees up. "I can't have children, Robin," she said seriously.

It didn't take him long to develop that thought in his mind, whether by Regina's tone or expression or both, he figured it out: she was infertile.

Robin swallowed and reached out, lacing his fingers with Regina's as her eyes grew teary. "I'm so sorry," he said gently. "That's why you adopted Henry, isn't it?" he asked.

Regina nodded. "If I could've had my own child, I would have. But I can't. So, I adopted. But I'm glad I did. It's just... A child of my own would be nice."

"There's nothing quite like it," Robin confirmed with a nod of his head. "So you've always been like this, then?"

Regina shook her head. "No. It happened shortly after the king died. My mother... She tricked me and tried to get me pregnant by a vile man so that she could reign behind a child-sized throne once she got rid of me. Luckily, I found out before anything happened but I cursed myself with an infertility potion so that I'd never bear a child so that it might never be turned into the kind of person I was. But I also did it because... because I knew nobody would ever love me enough to give me a child. And I was right."

"That's not true," Robin said, scooting closer to Regina, close enough so that he could wrap an arm around her and hug her close to him. "You know I hate it when you talk about yourself that way," he murmured, his breath against her ear.

Regina's eyes fluttered closed and she leaned her head against Robin's shoulder, willing herself not to cry. "Now that my mother's gone and I'm changing... sometimes I think it would be nice but then I remember, I can't."

"I may not be as knowledgable about magic as you are, but I do know one thing," Robin said, his other arm drawing her closer now. "All curses can be broken."

Regina smiled a little and buried her head into Robin's shoulder, inhaling the smell of forest she'd become so familiar with.

"And if you want a child, I'll help you break the curse. In fact, I'll make you a deal," Robin continued.

Regina pulled back long enough to look him in the face and Robin gave a soft smile. "You schedule a visit with the doctor. Have yourself looked over," Robin said. He then poked Regina's belly, brushing his fingers against the thin material of her shirt in a way that tickled and made her laugh a little. "Something's working right in there because I know that about once every month you begin complaining about your case of the monthlies, so get yourself evaluated."

Regina nodded a little. "And...?"

"And I'll pay Gold and Belle a visit to see if I can find anything on reversing an infertility potion," Robin went on. "Sound good?"

Regina smiled a little and nodded, so grateful that her best friend was agreeing to help her try and reverse the curse she had cast upon herself.

Maybe there was a little hope for a child of her own after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Omg, thanks for the positive response on this! It's really encouraged me to go ahead and post the second chapter! I promise that after this, the next update will come from "Kidnap My Heart", but I just couldn't help myself!**

 **Be warned, this chapter is a little smutty ;) hehe...**

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Robin and Regina sat from each other across the table in Regina's dining room, eating a breakfast of bacon and eggs that Regina had provided for them that morning. It was seven-thirty and Regina had an appointment at eight and so the two had come together for breakfast before they set out.

"I can come to the appointment if you like," Robin offered as the two discussed their morning plans.

Regina shook her head. "It's alright. You should talk to Gold and Belle while I'm away to see if they can help you find how to reverse the curse. Besides, I'm not really sure what an infertility evaluation entails and... I just don't want to make things awkward," she said.

Robin chuckled a little and Regina noticed the dusting of red on his cheeks as he thought of the many meanings of her words. "Very well. We'll meet up for lunch at Granny's, sound good?"

Regina nodded and smiled at him. "I'll make sure I don't accept any offers to babysit," she said and winked and the two shared a chuckle.

As soon as they finished breakfast, they cleaned up the table and kitchen. The two then prepared to go their separate ways on their mission, which Regina was sure Henry would call Operation: Baby had he been knowledgable that Regina had actually taken Emma's advice.

Regina shrugged her peacoat on and wrapped a scarf around her neck, turning to Robin who placed his hands on Regina's shoulders. "I wish you the best of luck," he said gently.

"And you," Regina replied with a small smile. "Thank you, Robin, for helping me figure this out."

"Just one step at a time," Robin responded, his tone soft, his hands moving to ghost over her upper arms. "See you at lunch."

"See you then," Regina murmured, suddenly feeling nervous about all of this, whether because she wasn't fond of doctors or because she was afraid of what she would hear.

 _But why am I afraid? I already know the answer I'm going to get: You're infertile, Regina_. She heaved a sigh and looked up at Robin, managing a halfhearted smile. "I'd better get going."

He nodded and released her arms, pulling open the door for her. Regina exited the house and locked it up after Robin had followed her outside. The two started in separate directions and Regina looked over her shoulder to wave at Robin, who was looking back at her before continuing on her way.

After a ten minute walk, she reached the fertility clinic and signed herself in. Another ten minutes passed in the waiting room until... "Miss Mills?"

Regina looked up to see a woman around her age with red hair and pale skin, holding a clipboard. She wore her hair in a ponytail and her green eyes hid behind the thick frame of her glasses. Regina got up and began walking towards the woman.

"Hello, Regina," the woman said, a flicker of something in her eyes. Fear. Regina may have become a hero a little over a year ago when she had defeated her sister, Zelena, but some still were wary of Regina for her past as the Evil Queen. "My name is Dr. Venus," she said and held a reluctant hand out.

Regina smiled a bit at the irony. A fertility doctor with the last name of Venus, like the Roman goddess of love, sex, and fertility. _How convenient_.

"Nice to meet you," Regina replied and gave the woman's hand a shake.

Dr. Venus gave Regina a small smile before pulling her hand away. "This way, Miss Mills."

The doctor led Regina back into a room and shut the door behind her. The room had white floors and white walls with posters hanging up all over the place about pregnancy.

"You can have a seat," Dr. Venus said as she sat down at a desk. Regina took a seat on the table, cringing as the paper crinkled beneath her. She hated that sound. "Before we run any tests, I want to ask a few questions."

Regina nodded. "What would you like to know?"

"First off, when you scheduled your appointment, you shared you thought you were infertile?" Dr. Venus asked.

"I _am_ infertile," Regina replied. "It's a long story but let's just say I took a potion back in the Enchanted Forest that made me this way."

The doctor nodded slowly, writing a note down on her clipboard. "Okay. Well, because we are dealing with magic, I'm still going to evaluate you. Magic and science contradict each other, especially in this land. There may be a possibility for you yet."

Regina nodded and heaved a nervous sigh. "Alright," she replied, telling herself not to get her hopes up. This doctor knew nothing about magic. An infertility potion was near irreversible. It would take a lot to change the damage that had been done, even with science and specialists.

"So, moving on. Do you have regular cycles?" Dr. Venus asked.

Regina hugged her arms around her middle and nodded. "Yes, I do. That's why Robin wanted me to come here," she said, that last part coming out quieter so it was not heard, but it was anyways.

"Robin. Is he your partner? When's the last time the two of you had sex?" Dr. Venus asked.

Regina was silently exhaling a breath of relief, glad that her best friend hadn't tagged along. She felt her cheeks growing warm and knew her cheeks were growing red. "Oh, no. Robin's just my friend."

Dr. Venus scrunched her brows together. "Alright. Well, who would be the father of your child, then?"

Regina fiddled with her thumbs and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. She had been thinking in the week that had passed since Emma's not-so-subtle suggestion of a possible father, had considered Robin, but wondered if that would get in the way of their friendship. "I... um... There isn't one at the moment. I'm still looking for a donor... if this is all possible that is."

Dr. Venus nodded. "Very well. And when was the last time you've had sex?"

Regina's shoulders sagged, feeling a bit embarrassed by the personal questions, even though she knew they were necessary. "A few years ago. It's been a while."

The doctor wrote notes down on her clipboard. "Alright and have you ever been pregnant before? If so, how did your body deal with the baby?"

Regina shook her head. "I've never been pregnant," she said.

Dr. Venus simply nodded once again. "Back to the topic of your period. Everything is normal? No irregular patterns, no intense pain, no abnormally heavy flow?"

Regina shook her head. "Everything's normal," she replied.

Dr. Venus stood up. "Alright, Regina. I'm going to have you lay back so I can have a feel around. Then we'll get you changed and perform an ultrasound and a few other tests."

Regina laid back as Dr. Venus came over to the side of the table. The doctor began feeling around, pressing around Regina's hips, her face knotted in concentration. Dr. Venus then moved to write down a few notes. Regina's heart was beating fast, worried about what she may be writing down.

After that, Regina was directed to change into a gown and was led into a room down the hall. There, Dr. Venus performed an ultrasound. A few more tests were performed on Regina's reproductiveness and blood samples were taken.

Once Regina had changed back into normal clothes, she returned to the original room Dr. Venus had been in.

"Very interesting, Regina," Dr. Venus said. "From what I've discovered, there are no signs that you are infertile. I need the results from the samples I took to be completely sure, but at a first glance, you are not, and never seemed to have been barren."

Regina shook her head. "That's impossible. I took that potion. I _felt_ any chance of having a child of my own vanish."

"Then you're a miracle," Dr. Venus replied. "I want you to try for a baby as soon as possible. When I get the results in, I'll contact you. If there's been enough time between intercourse and conception, we'll test you for pregnancy as long as your results come in saying you're fertile as I suspect. And if there's no baby after a month or so, yet you are capable of conceiving, we will put you on some fertility pills just to be sure whatever magic you put in you is truly weakened."

Regina nodded and heaved a sigh, her heart pounding in her chest. How this was possible, she didn't know. She could've sworn she would have been walking out of the clinic with a crushed heart, crushed hopes, and crushed dreams. But instead, the visit had boosted her morale. Maybe she could have a child of her own after all.

By the time Regina reached Granny's and shuffled inside, Robin was already sitting at the table, a menu in hand. Regina slid into the booth across from him and grabbed a menu for herself.

"There you are," Robin said, glancing up from his menu with a small smile. "So, how did it go?" he asked hesitantly.

Regina smiled, and the happy expression seemed to shock Robin. "It went... surprisingly well. The doctor couldn't find anything that would indicate me being infertile. She took some tests but until then, she wants me to get sexually active with the father and come back once the tests are in. If everything looks good, she'll evaluate me for pregnancy. And if I'm not pregnant then or by a few months after that, she will put me on some pills."

Robin nodded and smiled a little. "See? I told you things would be alright."

Regina's smile grew. "So, how about you, any luck?"

Robin sighed. "Well, yes, but our chances of breaking the curse, if it even still exists are limited. What we need is in the Enchanted Forest."

Regina felt her shoulders sagging. "What is it that we need?" she asked.

"The magical water from Lake Nostos," Robin replied. "It can restore anything. Belle said that David and Mary Margaret both used it. David to help Kathryn turn her true love from a statue of gold back into a man and Mary Margaret's story was quite interesting..." Robin trailed off.

Regina nudged his arm. "Well? What about her story?"

"Belle said that King George once tricked the princess into drinking an infertility potion so that David wouldn't want to marry her because she couldn't bear him children. In an attempt to save his dying mother, the couple made a trip to Lake Nostos. David's mother found out about Snow White's problem and sacrificed her own life to assure that the curse was reversed with the water's magical properties," Robin explained.

Regina's eyes widened, having never heard such a tale before. She'd have to speak to Mary Margaret about this. "So if none of this stuff works, I need to find a way to get some water from Nostos."

"Precisely," Robin replied. When Regina heaved a heavy sigh, knowing how next to impossible getting to their former home and back would be, Robin laid a hand over hers. "We will find a way, Regina. I promise."

"Thank you, Robin," Regina said, her voice soft.

The two of them ordered lunch and ate after that before heading back to Regina's house. The walk was quiet, as Regina was deep in thought and Robin seemed to notice. She was trying to make a hard decision – did she risk her friendship with Robin by asking him to be the father? Because so far, she couldn't think of anyone else she would want to help her conceive her child.

Yet, she considered the things that could negatively result from asking Robin to be the father – he could say no, he could walk right out of their friendship, he could develop feelings for her, or she for him, feelings that would forever change their relationship. That was the thing Regina was scared of the most. She was ready to let in the love of the child again, but not the love of a man. She couldn't. Not after Daniel.

Once they got back to the house, Robin and Regina settled on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, with Copper beside them. They went over how the appointment had gone once again. Robin informed Regina that Belle would be searching for more alternatives.

"So," Robin began and then let the word hang in the air a moment. "When you were talking earlier, you kept saying 'the father'," he said, his voice quiet and hesitant. "Does that mean you know who you want it to be?"

Regina turned to look up at Robin, her heart racing so quickly she thought it might burst. The expression on his face surprised her. He looked doubtful, sad, maybe a little hurt, angry, jealous, perhaps? No, that couldn't be right.

Regina sighed and shook her head. "I've been thinking... it's a hard decision to make."

Robin laughed. It sounded a little bitter. "It's just... Whoever you choose, make sure you can trust him. I don't want you to tie yourself to someone who would hurt you or the child, Regina. I want you both to be safe." With that, he leaned forward, one hand rising to rest against Regina's cheek, his lips brushing against her forehead. He lingered there for a moment before pulling back.

His words, his actions, made Regina realize in that moment that there wasn't a thing she needed to consider. Finding the right father wasn't for her benefit, but for her child's, and no other man should get to hold that title but Robin. He wouldn't hurt her or the child, he'd keep the baby safe and he had experience as a father. And, Regina knee she could trust him. He was perfect.

"You know him very well," Regina murmured, looking up at Robin. "I think you'll approve of the man I want to father my child."

"Who is it?" Robin asked, swallowing thickly.

Regina smiled a little. "It's you," she replied, her voice was hushed.

Robin looked back at Regina with an expression of shock and at first she felt scared, her heart pounding in her chest as she stumbled over her next words.

"I-I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just–"

"I want to, Regina," Robin said softly, his words surprising her. She was sure that Robin wouldn't have agreed to father her child. She hadn't thought anyone would.

Regina stared at him in awe, her jaw dropping. "I... You do?"

Robin nodded, a small smile crossing his lips. "Of course. I'd do anything for you, Regina, you know that."

"Of course I know that," Regina replied. "But... this isn't just about me. It's about you now, too. Are you sure this is what you want? A child... with me?"

Robin nodded once more. "I'd love to be a father again, and I couldn't imagine a better mother for a child of mine to have than you."

His words touched that soft spot in her battered heart, and Regina's smile grew wider, tears filling her eyes. The comment was a little too intimate for her liking, but it touched her nonetheless.

But it did remind Regina that they should lay down some ground rules, and she told Robin as such. The two of them worked out a deal – No kissing, no pleasuring, they'd have sex only with the lights off and at night, when they couldn't see each other, and of course when Henry wasn't at home. They were going to do no clothes until Robin pointed out that having nothing on would be a lot less messier and less of a hassle. It would also help him get an erection quicker. While Regina was uncomfortable with that she knew he was right and besides, she had made a list of demands, but he was the father and this was about him, too. It couldn't just be her own terms. (She shouldn't be uneasy, she's had sex before, with strangers even, but she supposed it's because she's close to Robin, he's her best friend, that she feels this way, like a blushing virgin.)

After discussing this, Robin went back to his camp with plans to return once it grew dark out and Regina spent her day in the house, feeling more nervous than she ought to have felt. As soon as the clock struck ten, Robin knocked on the door and Regina answered, both of them exchanging greetings.

Regina looked outside at the dark sky before turning to Robin after shutting and locking the front door behind him once he'd come inside. "Should we head to my room?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

Robin nodded and he stood up, offering Regina his hand to help her to her feet. She took the lead once she had gotten up, leading Robin up the winding staircase to her bedroom. With a nervous sigh, her lungs feeling as if they were filled with lead, and she felt as if she'd just run a thousand miles.

Regina silently led the way into her bedroom and once they were both inside, she shut the door so that the dog couldn't get in. She then turned to Robin and hugged her arms around herself. "So... how do we start this?" she asked, the awkwardness of this finally, truly setting in. She was going to have sex with her best friend.

"I guess by removing articles of clothing...?" Robin said unsurely, making his way towards the bed. He seemed uneasy, too. At least Regina wasn't alone.

Regina followed him hesitantly after turning the lights off, making the room nearly pitch black. She stopped in front of Robin, about an arm's length apart. "Okay," she breathed. "So do we take our own clothes off... Or...?" She trailed off as Robin took a step closer and reached his hands out, his fingers already setting to work, unbuttoning her blouse.

Regina watched him, feeling her face flush and her heart pound in her chest as if it might burst. His fingers worked at a quick pace, each button popping free until the last one was undone. Regina nervously watched as Robin's hands slowly slid the article of clothing off of her arms and onto the ground. She half wanted to go turn the lights on just so see the expression on his face more clearly, to know what he was thinking.

Robin then curled his fingers into the belt loops of Regina's pants, dragging her closer to him. Before he got the chance to remove anything else, Regina grabbed the hem of the simple t-shirt he wore and pulled it up over his head, tossing it next to her discarded blouse. Her eyes roamed over him, pausing at the dark blotch on his arm, the tattoo with such a powerful meaning that Regina constantly ran away from.

However, as Robin reached his arms around Regina to unclasp her bra, she found her eyes traveling down his well-muscled chest. Even in the limited light, she could see how sculpted he was, how strong. Regina was mesmerized by the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin as her bra was slipped off her body and thrown on the ground, baring her upper body to him. She suddenly felt wetness pooling between her thighs and she swallowed thickly.

Robin's warm skin was against her own. Every inch of her was pressed up against him. And where their skin touched, Regina felt her body tingle. Her eyes dared to flicker upwards, to meet Robin's eyes. He was staring intently at her and for a second, Regina thought he might break the rules and kiss her. But he didn't, even though Regina was suddenly curious about the way his lips would feel on hers.

However, Robin's hands brushed along Regina's waist. His hands, rough and calloused from years of pulling back a bowstring and from doing hard work, were ever so gentle, his touches soft. Slowly, his hands explored the skin bared to him and Regina looked away so she would no longer have to look into his eyes, still uncomfortable about all this.

Robin's hands slowly slid up her sides, causing Regina to shiver. His fingertips brushed against her ribcage. Their lips were mere millimeters apart and Regina was just waiting for him to capture her lips in a kiss. But it never came. The tension still hung in the air, especially when Robin cupped Regina's breasts in his hands. She gasped in surprise, her body shivering once again, her lips pressing together to suppress a moan. His hands kneaded her breasts for a moment and Regina's eyes fluttered shut, but as quickly as his hands had gone there, they disappeared as he began to undo her pants.

It didn't take but another minute or so for the two of them to be completely unclothed. Regina could feel Robin's erection pressing against her thigh and knew that this had at least helped him manage that part. Regina shuffled towards the bed, and Robin climbed in on the other side.

Regina settled in on her back and Robin moved to hover over her, his hands above her shoulders, bracing his weight as he positioned himself between her legs. Regina felt him there, just inches from her wet core and it took everything in her power not to grind up against him just to help relieve the tight feeling between her legs.

Robin looked down at Regina, seeming to mistake her discomfort for something else. "Is this alright?" he asked. "Or should we do this another way?"

Regina shook her head. "This is okay," she said softly.

Robin nodded, huffing out a breath to calm himself. The tip of him rested right there, between the slick folds of her sex and it was about to drive Regina crazy. She'd never desired a man like this, but she told herself that it was because they weren't allowing themselves to kiss, to pleasure, to explore each others' bodies.

"Ready?" Robin asked, pressing himself against Regina. She couldn't help but release a quiet moan, her hips rolling into his manhood.

"Yes," she said, her voice sounding needy. "Just... go slow. I haven't done this in a while." She wanted to be cautious, knowing her body would take time to adjust but also because Robin felt big and she knew he'd stretch her to begin with.

Robin nodded, and positioned himself a little better. He then slipped inside Regina and she took him, inch by inch until he was buried inside of her to the hilt. His head fell into the crook of her neck and the both of them groaned. Regina's fingers gripped the bedsheets and she cringed slightly at the penetration, trying to relax her muscles.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked.

Regina nodded slowly. "Yes. Give me a moment," she said.

Robin allowed her that, remaining still inside of her. As he waited for Regina to adjust to his size, he peppered the lightest of kisses to her neck and shoulder. Regina wanted to tell him to stop, that he was breaking the rules, but the minute she opened her mouth, nothing but a moan tumbled from her lips.

Taking this as the message that she was ready, Robin slowly slide his member out before plunging back in again, remembering to keep his pace slow at first.

Once she felt as if she could handle it, Regina mimicked Robin's rhythm, her hips rolling against his slow yet deep thrusts. Robin's head stayed buried in the crook of Regina's neck, his occasional moan muffled against Regina's skin.

Soon, the two of them fell into sort of a dance, their pace picking up until they settled into a rhythm that satisfied the both of them. Despite a lack of foreplay, just the actual intercourse itself was the best sex Regina had ever had. Each thrust set her on fire, craving more and more.

"Mmm... Regina," Robin mumbled against her her ear. "You're so tight and warm." The undertones of his voice made her eyes squeeze shut tighter, her toes curl, had her wanting more of him.

That feeling low in Regina's belly began to twist tighter and tighter with each of Robin's movements. She knew she was close to coming over the edge. "Robin," Regina said, or more like moaned, "I'm close."

At her words, Robin nodded. "Me too," he said and picked up his pace, giving the both of them the right amount they needed to give them that extra shove.

Regina's orgasm exploded before her, stars bursting behind her closed eyelids. She thought she called out Robin's name as she came, her body tensing, fingers curling into the bedsheets. Her walls tightening around his manhood was what sent Robin over the edge and he spilled his seed inside of her.

After they'd both come off their high, Robin slowly pulled himself out of Regina and rolled off of her to lie beside her. The bedroom smelled of sweat and sex, and of forest, of Robin. Regina and Robin panted heavily, trying to regain their breaths. Regina felt tired, her eyes already drooping shut, exhausted from the previous activity, but sexually satisfied.

"Would you like me to head out now?" Robin asked a few moments later, causing Regina's eyes to snap open. Had she already started to doze off?

She looked up at Robin and then glanced at the clock. It was eleven, but with a glance at Robin again, he looked almost as tired as she was.

"You can stay," she mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut again. If they did this in the future, they'd do it a little earlier, especially if their day was as busy as today had been. "... As long as you make me breakfast in the morning."

Robin chuckled softly. "Alright, milady," he replied. "I'll make you breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

Regina crinkled her nose. "Fertilized," she quipped, causing Robin to snicker like a teenage boy. "You already know the answer to that. Scrambled. And don't forget the bacon."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Robin replied. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Robin."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm still amazed by the response this fic is getting! Thank you! :)**

* * *

When Regina woke up, she realized with a start that, not only was she stark naked, being spooned by her best friend, who was also naked, but she was also wet. Goodness sakes, she was _very_ wet.

Regina would have been better off if she had just let Robin kiss and pleasure her all night long like she had really wanted him to, just so she could get her sexual frustrations out. Maybe then she wouldn't have had erotic dreams all night that involved him touching and kissing sensitive areas of her body. Or maybe that would have just made her want more than just sex from him (and their child, of course). She couldn't go falling in love, yet their night together had brought about feelings Regina hadn't experienced since Daniel.

 _Damn it_. She was going against her own conscience. It screamed at her that everything about this was a bad idea, but Regina was diving in headfirst, recklessly, as she always did before she got her heart broken, time and time again.

The only thing that stopped her from putting an end to this before she got thrown in deeper was the fact that, over anything else, Regina wanted a child of her own and she still knew Robin would be the best father for her baby and the only man she trusted with such a title.

If only those damned feelings would go away. If only Regina wouldn't have to worry about falling in love with Robin. Maybe then, the both of them could enjoy sex just a little more.

Regina shifted uncomfortably in her spot, trying to quell the throbbing ache down below, the very place she'd dreamt of having Robin all night long. But, she realized, moving again, she was a little sore in between the legs. Perhaps it had been a little longer since she had had pleasure than she had thought. Not only was she sexually frustrated, in an emotional battle with herself over her feelings for Robin, but she was sore, too. She'd feel it in her walk all day.

Regina's frustrated huff seemed to rouse Robin from his sleep, for he shifted against Regina's back, his erection pressing up against her backside.

 _Oh shit_.

Regina bit down on her lip, harder than she would have liked, but it kept the moan at bay. She pressed her thighs together, squeezing her eyes shut simultaneously. Robin didn't seem to be fully awake yet, but as he was coming alive, his arms tightened around Regina's waist – when had that happened? – and he pulled her closer against him and his erection that was about to make Regina go crazy.

Fortunately, they didn't stay in such a compromising position for long. When Robin had fully come awake, he seemed to notice his issue and he quickly turned into his back with a frustrated sigh. Not for the first time, Regina was glad that her want wasn't nearly as noticeable as his was.

She laid in her spot for a few moments, not yet wanting to leave the warmth of the bed (and Robin). She was still cocooned in feathery blankets, and Robin's strong arm was curled around her waist, her back against his side. She kept her eyes closed and made sure her breathing was steady to make Robin think she was still asleep.

After several minutes, Regina had dozed off again and the next time she woke up, it was by Robin's doing. Somehow she had gotten herself turned around, her head snuggled up in the crook of his neck, an arm draped lazily over his abdomen. She felt his hand delicately moving up and down her bare back. His other hand was busy carding through her hair and his lips were pressed tenderly against her forehead.

When he saw Regina's eyes flutter open, Robin pulled back slightly, smiling down at her. "Good morning," he murmured.

Regina frowned a little when she saw the position they were in, cuddled up like lovers after a night filled with passion and lovemaking. She quickly sat up in bed, making sure the covers didn't betray her and fall away to reveal her naked body.

"Morning," Regina replied, reaching out to grab her robe which was located nearby. She managed to put it on and tie it around herself without exposing anything before climbing out of bed. "I'm going to go shower and get ready."

"Well, then I'll go get started on breakfast," Robin replied and Regina glanced over her shoulder to see him frowning ever so slightly. She had, perhaps, come off a bit snappy, but she was frustrated at herself, at him, too. Why did he have to be such a damn good man, personality-wise and in the bedroom, and why did he have to be so attractive?

Regina grabbed a pair of dark jeans and a gray t-shirt before making her way into the bathroom, feeling stiff and sore in certain areas. She shut and locked the door behind her before turning on the shower. Once the water had warmed up, she climbed in and let the water run over her body, steam curling around her legs. Regina let out a sigh and leaned against the tile walls, the coldness biting at her shoulders and back.

Regina closed her eyes, wondering what it would be like if he–

 _No_. She couldn't allow herself to fantasize about the way his arms would wrap around her waist, how his lips and the scruff of his beard would feel against her lips, her neck, her breasts. Or how he would fill her up and fuck her deliciously so against the shower wall until she came again and again.

Regina's eyes popped open when she felt that tight feeling between her legs, like a spring just waiting to uncoil. She squeezed her eyes together, trying to move her mind elsewhere, trying to imagine anything other than Robin here with her, but damn her betraying mind, damn the hot, steamy water that represented the sex she could be having, damn Robin of Locksley.

Regina braced herself against the wall and her fingers sought out her clit. She closed her eyes, the image of Robin in all his naked glory before her, his fingers making work of her clit, his lips and free hand caressing every inch of her body.

Regina rubbed herself, biting her lips to bite back a moan. She saw him plunging a finger inside of her as she did it to herself, imagined it being him who lazily pumped his finger in and out of her, still stimulating her clit.

As she added a second finger, she imagined the both of them not being able to hold on any longer. She saw Robin guiding himself into her entrance, murmuring in that sultry tone of his how he wanted to be inside of her when the both of them climaxed. As she pumped her fingers in and out of her, she imagined Robin roughly thrusting inside of her, her nails creating marks on his back as he fucked her senseless.

It didn't take long for Regina to orgasm with those thoughts. Finally, it felt like the spring had finally come uncoiled and Regina sighed with relief, moving more under the flow of the water. She washed her body and hair after that, cursing herself all the while for the fantasy she had just painted in her head. She had let herself, yet again, think about sex with Robin, a frequent occurrence since last night.

Regina hopped out of the shower, dried herself off, and wrapped herself up in a towel. She dried her hair with the blow dryer before dressing into her jeans and t-shirt. Regina felt too lazy to straighten her hair so she left her shoulder-length curls alone after putting some gel in them to assure they wouldn't be too out of control or frizzy. Regina then applied a light layer of makeup – just a little gray eyeshadow, some eyeliner, and a few swipes of mascara to make her already long eyelashes just a bit more accentuated.

As she made her way downstairs into the kitchen, she was greeted by the sharp scent of bacon and her stomach grumbled hungrily. Robin was standing by the stove, fully clothed (thank goodness), bacon sizzling in a pan as he watched to make sure it didn't burn.

There was coffee already in the pot. Regina made her way through the kitchen entrance to the counter and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, filling it with the steaming black liquid, painfully aware of Robin's eyes on her as she added a dash of sugar and a few drops of creamer to her drink.

"I love it when you leave your hair like that," Robin said, breaking the silence between them.

Regina, despite her mood, managed a smile, looking up at Robin as she lifted the coffee mug to her lips and took a sip. She would have to give him credit,

Robin brewed a good coffee. "Really?" she asked. Regina personally hated her curly hair. It was hard to work with and she thought it was much too frizzy.

Robin nodded in confirmation. "Are you hungry? I've almost got breakfast ready," he said and Regina nodded, her stomach growling again. "Go sit, I'll have them out in a moment."

Regina went and sat at the dining room table. She grabbed her laptop and slipped on her reading glasses before going through her work emails, sipping her coffee as she waited on Robin to finish up their breakfast.

It wasn't long before he made his way into the dining room with two plates of food. He set one down beside Regina. "There. A breakfast befitting a queen, milady," he said and when Regina didn't look up from her work, too enthralled in the email she was reading, he took it upon himself to remove the reading glasses from her face

"Robin!" Regina snapped, turning to look up at Robin with a scowl as he neatly folded her glasses and set them aside. Ignoring her comment, he snatched her laptop away and closed the lid. Regina's glare hardened on him.

"If you want to have a healthy pregnancy you need to eat," Robin said as Regina scowled further.

"I was going to eat or eventually. I was reading my emails," she whined. "And one meal isn't going to effect anything."

"We all know how it goes, Regina. You wait until your food is cold to begin eating when you get your nose in your work and then you don't want it," Robin said, his voice irking her. It sounded like she was being scolded by a parent.

"I'm not a little girl, Robin. I know how to feed myself," she snapped.

Robin sighed, realizing Regina wasn't in the brightest of moods. "I know, Regina. I'm only trying to make sure you eat regularly so when it comes time for your body to carry a child, you're as healthy as you can be."

Regina sighed and closed her eyes, pulling her plate in front of her. "Okay," she said. "I'm sorry."

"No worries, my sweet," Robin cooed, bending down to kiss Regina's cheek. "I just want to make sure that you and our child, whenever he or she exists inside of you, are healthy."

"I bet we are going to be waiting a while. I'll be fine," Regina reminded Robin. _Maybe_ _even forever_. "And you don't have to do that, you know."

"Of course I'm going to be concerned about–"

"No, not that," Regina said, shaking her head. "You know, just because we had sex doesn't mean you have to call me those lovey-dovey names and kiss me." Her voice sounded punctual and sharp, rude. She hadn't meant for that.

Robin nodded a little and patted Regina's shoulder before finding his seat across the table. The two of them proceeded to eat in a bit of uncomfortable silence.

"Robin," Regina spoke up after several minutes, after considering Robin's previous action of affectionately kissing her cheek. "Can... can you promise me something?"

"Anything," Robin replied.

Regina nodded, smiling gratefully. "Promise me that this won't affect our friendship."

Robin shook his head slowly. "That's the one thing I can't promise you," he replied.

Immediately, Regina's heart began to pound and she felt fear wrenching her gut. "Why's that?" she asked, suddenly finding her hands very interesting.

Robin let out a soft sigh. "Because, Regina, this is something new that is going to change the both of our lives. We're going to be parents together someday. That's going to change a lot for us and our families," he replied. "We're going to be tied together."

Regina nodded silently, feeling tears pressing at the corners of her vision. She hadn't thought about it that way before and suddenly, she was rethinking her decisions all over again. Well, it could possibly be too late to run away from this now if she was already with child. Regina reminded herself of that, and the fact that this was all for the benefit of her child and her child should have a loving father like Robin.

The two finished breakfast as silently as they had begun it and once they were finished, Regina insisted she did the dishes since Robin had cooked. As she was cleaning bacon grease off of one plate in the sink, she felt two strong hands lightly gripping her upper arms, stilling her movements.

Regina's hands gingerly released the plate she was holding and it sank back into the bubbly water in the sink, along with the rag she had been using. She felt her muscles tense up as Robin's hands ran up to her shoulders and back down to her elbows before drifting down to her sides. He splayed one hand over her stomach, his thumb drawing circles around her belly button.

Regina felt Robin's head drop to lean against hers and when he spoke, his voice was soft against her ear.

"You know, I was thinking this morning when we were curled up in bed together..." he started.

"Yes?" Regina asked, urging him to go on. She hated how breathy her voice sounded, how flustered he had her already.

"...and well, I was wondering if, when you're pregnant, if I could come spend the night with you and the baby and hold you both in my arms to make sure you're safe. Besides, I would much like to talk to our child so that he or she knows my voice, and kiss your pregnant belly so the baby is already familiar with my kisses," Robin said.

Regina felt herself tearing up at Robin's words. Any doubts she had early about being tied to him were quelled when she heard his words. He was so ready to be a father to this child, and a very good one, too. She had made the right choice, if not for herself, for their child.

Regina turned in Robin's arms, wrapping her arms around him, burying her head against his shoulder. She felt Robin's arms curl around her. Robin slowly drew circles along her back, his other hand tangling in her hair.

"Of course you can," Regina murmured, her voice muffled by Robin's shoulder.

He rested his chin on top of her head and she could practically feel the wide smile on his face. "Thank you," he replied. "I can't wait to have a baby with you, Regina Mills."

Regina smiled softly, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. "Well, we have a lot of work to do... If it's even possible."

"If it isn't now, we'll find a way. I won't rest until we do," Robin said. "Speaking of all the work we have to do... when do you want to get to work again?"

"Soon. There has to be enough time for the pregnancy tests to pick up any signs of a baby. And I doubt once is going to do it," Regina replied. "We could try again tomorrow night. I have some errands to run tonight but I'm free tomorrow." Her voice was a little quieter now.

Robin nodded his head. "That sounds good to me," he replied.

* * *

When the sun disappeared behind the trees the next day and the sky was a blanket of darkness, stitched together by the stars, Robin came home from work, but not back to his camp. He went to Regina's, who had given him a key, so Robin let himself in.

Regina was cleaning up from dinner, unaware that the thief who was skilled at going undetected had made it into her house. She washed her dishes off before storing them back in their respectable cabinets.

She was putting the plate away when she felt a hand on her wrist. Regina gasped in alarm and jumped back, the plate falling from her grasp. But, it never hit the ground. Robin caught it and gave Regina a playful smirk.

"Robin, you almost scared the living daylights out of me!" Regina exclaimed with a scowl as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted her lips.

"Sorry," Robin replied, his playfully guilty smile remaining.

"No, you aren't," Regina accused, arching an eyebrow.

"Now what makes you think that?" Robin inquired innocently, taking a step closer so that they were face-to-face. Robin had always gotten too close for comfort like this back in the Enchanted Forest when they'd had jesting spats like this, so Regina was used to it.

"That smart ass look on your face," Regina snipped, smirking before turning her face into a pout – scrunching her brows and puckering her bottom lip.

"You know I can't take you seriously when you're making such cute faces," Robin murmured, his face mere inches away from Regina's. When had they gotten _that_ close?

"Flattery isn't going to get you out of this one, Locksley," Regina replied, trying to ignore the fact that their lips were nearly touching.

Regina suddenly felt Robin's hands on her hips, drawing himself even closer to her. Her heart pounded in her chest and was so loud she wondered if Robin could hear it. Their noses were bumping against one another – why wasn't she pulling away? She should be, but she couldn't.

"I'm afraid flattery will work on you, milady," he replied. Robin leaned in ever so slightly, his lips brushing lightly over hers, the warmth of his breath ghosting over her lips, mingling with her breath.

"No it–"

Before Regina could even finish her sentence, Robin's lips covered hers, one of his hands trailing up her spine, causing her to shiver. That hand tangled into Regina's hair, resting against the base of her skull. Robin's lips were insistent against hers and after recovering from the initial shock of the unexpected kiss, Regina's lips began responding, moving at the slow, leisurely pace Robin had set.

She had dreamed of this, of them, this kiss and several more. She had dreamt of his lips on hers, but nothing had prepared her for the actual thing. His lips were firm but slow against her own and his scruff pricked her chin, scraping against her skin in a delicious way.

Regina divulged in the kiss for a moment longer, taking in everything about the moment they shared – the quietness of the kitchen, the smell of forest, the touch of his lips, his hands traveling along her body and in her hair.

As much as she wanted this, she absolutely couldn't let it happen. Regina pulled back, breaking their kiss. Both of them were breathing hard, their breaths mingling. "Robin... We can't–"

"Why can't we, Regina?" he asked immediately, his hands uncurling themselves from her body, resting in a safer place on her biceps.

"We just can't," she replied, her gaze hardening on his so her true emotions didn't show through when he looked into her eyes, always searching for what could be the matter.

"I'm going to need a better reason than that," Robin said with a soft sigh. "Regina, we are probably going to have to do this more than just this once. Why not make it as enjoyable as we possibly can?"

Regina frowned a little, knowing where this was going. He wanted to kiss her and pleasure her during sex. He wanted to explore her body and find out what made her tick. He wanted to know her intimately... but Regina couldn't let happen. In doing this he would just chip away that wall that protected her heart, a wall he had already broken into enough.

"Robin, we–"

"Yes, we can, Regina," he replied. "I can see by the look in your eyes that you want to, but I know you're scared."

"I am not scared," Regina snapped.

"Yes, you are. Regina, you can forget all that's happened to you," Robin said. "At least enough to let someone in. You're safe here, nobody is going to hurt you now. You can be happy. You don't need to close yourself off any longer. You have Henry, you have Roland, you have me. And soon, you'll have a baby. You have the Charmings and Emma. You have the whole town. You're a hero now."

Regina smiled a little at Robin's words, but still wasn't convinced enough to let him in. "But..."

"Regina, you need to forget," he repeated and suddenly, his lips were on hers again, causing Regina to gasp in surprise.

She wanted to pull away again, but Robin's insistent lips on hers made her lose her thoughts and get lost in the feel of his lips against hers.

He made her forget.

Robin's arms wrapped around Regina's waist, pressing her body up against his. His hand fell to the small of her back, holding her firmly against him. His other hand drifted into her hair, slowly kneading her scalp with his fingers.

Their kiss remained slow and tender for several moments as they got used to each others' mouths. Regina enjoyed the way Robin's insistent, soft lips felt against her own and the way his scruff scraped against her chin. He slowly rocked their bodies back and forth, his hand tangling deeper into her hair.

Robin gently sank his teeth into Regina's bottom lip, giving it a light tug before his tongue licked the seam of her lips, requesting entrance. Regina's mouth opened immediately, a moan tumbling free as she did so.

She felt two hands lift her off the ground as their kiss deepened, tongues desperately searching each others' mouths as they tried to familiarize themselves with one another. Robin set Regina down on the counter and pushed her legs apart with his hands, pressing his body there, his hands now resting on her knees as they continued to make out like horny teenagers.

The two of them parted for a breath and Robin rested his forehead against Regina's. They both breathed in the same air as they regained themselves. Regina was about to tell Robin they should stop when his hands began to move again. His fingertips slowly traced her kneecaps before beginning to move up her outer thigh, snaking beneath her pencil skirt which left no curve to the imagination and had already been hiked up some due to him spreading her legs apart to fit between them.

Robin's hands rubbed along Regina's soft skin which began to prickle with goosebumps. He dipped his head down, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth before making his way down wards. His lips brushed along her jaw before he lightly scraped his teeth along that spot just behind her jawbone, right below her ear and was rewarded with a low moan escaping her lips.

Regina could feel Robin smirking against her skin and he laid a gentle kiss there. His hands continued their trail along her thigh and as he grew closer to the place where desire was beginning to pool, he traced his fingers along her panty line before reaching behind her, his palms cupping her rear end, fingers digging ever so slightly into the lace panties that covered her skin as he slowly dragged her closer to him.

"Regina Mills," Robin murmured, his head falling into the place where her neck met her shoulder. His husky, accented voice caused her body to shiver, more wetness pooling between her thighs and she began to ache for him. "I plan on kissing and touching every inch of your body tonight, to make you feel pleasured, to make you come as many times as I possibly can. I want you to feel appreciated and loved on."

 _No. Do not make me feel loved_ , Regina wanted to say, no, shout, but she knew she wouldn't be able to speak coherently enough for that, especially the moment his lips connected to her neck as he trailed kisses along her flesh.

"Mmm... Robin," Regina sighed, inner turmoils long forgotten. Her knees tightened around his waist and she tipped her head to the side, giving him more access to her neck. Her arms wrapped around him, nails digging into the fabric of his shirt. "Bedroom."

As the word left her lips, Robin lifted Regina up into his arms, his lips continuing to assault her neck with light nips, sucks, and kisses as he carried her upstairs towards her bedroom.

Once he reached the room, he bumped the door with his shoulder and made his way inside with Regina. He closed the door behind him with his foot and didn't set her down until his knees were hitting the bed. He slowly laid Regina down and moved to hover over her, smiling down at her.

"You, milady, are under orders to lie here and allow me to bring you pleasure," Robin said, landing a soft kiss to Regina's lips which lasted for a few seconds before he pulled back.

Regina felt her stubbornness on the subject slowly dwindling. Maybe just this once, she would enjoy herself instead of focusing on just conceiving.

Robin started by slowly pulling Regina's shirt off and then his, throwing them into a heap on the floor. He bent down, his lips seeking out hers once again as he slowly trailed a hand along the skin that had been bared to him. Robin kissed Regina tenderly, his fingers trailing along her ribcage as their lips moved against one another's. As their kiss deepened, Robin swirled his tongue around Regina's, taking his time in exploring her mouth.

His hands cupped her breasts in the same fashion they had two nights ago. Except this time, instead of just lightly squeezing them, he began to knead them through her bra, his thumbs brushing over her sensitive nipples. Regina moaned against his mouth, tugging on his lip with her teeth.

"Take it off, Robin," she begged, arching her back so that her breasts were pressed more firmly into the palms of his hands.

Robin's lips came away from Regina's, breaking their kiss, but she could feel him smirking. He nibbled at her lower lip as he reached around to unclasp her bra, letting her breasts pop free. Slowly, Robin pulled the bra straps down her arms, slowly uncovering two rounded, full breasts with peaked, dark pink nipples.

He tossed her bra aside, his eyes transfixed by the new part bared to him. Regina's eyes were focused on him, her gaze intensely studying his brilliant blue eyes as they darkened with desire. Gingerly, his hand reached out, cupping one of her bare breasts in his hands, his thumb circling her pert nipple.

"How on earth are you so beautiful?" Robin murmured, leaning in closer.

His lips dusted along Regina's blushing cheeks before they traveled down her jaw and neck with appreciative love bites. He then graced her shoulders with delicate kisses as his hands worked at her breasts and he then dipped his tongue into the indent made by her collarbones. He hummed softly against Regina's skin, his nose skating across her shoulder as he pressed more kisses into her flesh.

A soft smile painted Regina's lips. Never had she felt this way. A man had never taken his time with her, appreciating every part of her body in the way Robin did. No man had never been concerned with her pleasure. This was something new, something she hadn't experienced before. And she loved the feeling of being important, of feeling beautiful.

Robin slowly left Regina's sternum and trailed his tongue between the valley of her breasts, tasting her skin as she moaned in response. His hands found their place on either side of her body. His lips kissed one soft swell of flesh before he latched on to one of her nipples, grooming the peak to its finest point with his tongue, his lips sucking it further into his mouth.

Regina's arms came up to wrap around Robin's neck, drawing him closer to her chest. He sucked more fervently on her nipple, summoning another moan from her lips. He then switched, giving her other breast the same attention.

Regina was already breathing hard and so impossibly wet, hot and ready for him. But she knew she had some waiting to do yet. As much as she wanted Robin that very second, she didn't want this to end. She wanted him glorifying her body like this for hours.

Robin moved his lips down to her belly, his hands slowly stroking up and down her sides. He lavished her skin with the softest of kissed and dipped his tongue into her navel. His lips continued to make a trail downwards until he stopped right at the hem of her skirt.

Robin decorated kisses over what would be her womb and paused to look up at Regina. "I can't wait to see your belly swollen with our child," he murmured. "It will truly be the most precious sight this world has to offer," he said.

His words made Regina break out into a grin and she felt tears building up pressure behind her eyes. "I can't wait either."

Slowly, Robin unzipped Regina's skirt and pulled it down her long, toned legs. She was left in just her panties and Robin took a moment to admire her hourglass figure. Her body was perfect, curvy, so feminine. Regina watched with a nervous expression as Robin took her in.

Slowly, he leaned down, kissing his way from her kneecaps to her core, his lips brushing along her inner thighs. His fingers tested the waters, brushing against her soaked panties. Robin moaned and Regina felt it vibrating through her entire body.

"Mmm... You are so wet," he mumbled, curling his fingers into the hem of her panties. He slowly pulled them down, finally baring her completely to him for the second time, but this time he was able to do something about it.

Robin hooked Regina's knees onto his shoulders and grabbed her hips, drawing her closer. He bent down, running his tongue through her slick folds from bottom to top. Regina was instantly arching her back, a moan falling from her lips. Robin responded with a groan of pleasure which reverberated through Regina, shaking her to her very core.

Robin ran his tongue through her folds a few more times before circling her clit with it, teasing her. Regina squeezed her knees together, pressing them closer to his head and her fingers drifted into his hair, giving it a light tug to urge him on. Robin flicked his tongue against her swollen bud before latching his lips around her bundle of nerves, teeth lightly scraping against it, sending shooting stars of pleasure through her body. Robin began to suck on Regina's clit, swirling his tongue over it.

Regina gasped in pleasure, a whimper passing her lips. Unexpectedly, Robin plunged two fingers inside of Regina, curling them as he began to pump in and out of her, his tongue still working her clit.

This was so much better than the fantasies Regina had been having. She was in absolutely ecstasy. Her moans increased in volume as she reached her climax and with one final suck on her clit and thrust of his fingers, Regina came against Robin's mouth and hand.

He let her ride out her orgasm before pulling away, sucking on his fingers to clean them. Regina felt wet all over again, her libido increasing as she watched him unbuckle his belt and remove his pants and then his boxers, his erection springing free, ready for her.

Robin crawled his way back up to Regina, his lips capturing hers in a passionate kiss. Regina could taste herself on Robin's mouth and her desire for him increased. Slowly, Robin parted Regina's legs and guided his hardened member to her entrance, running his tip through her folds to tease her before plunging himself inside, burying his length in her to the hilt.

Their moans vibrates off of each others' lips and their kiss grew even more heated as Robin began to thrust in and out of Regina's tight core. He wasn't as gentle this time, but there was something different about the tango they performed as their hips knocked together in unison and perfect rhythm. It was full of passion and desire.

Regina wrapped her legs around Robin's waist, adjusting their position just enough to allow him to fill her up completely. Their tongues danced together, their moans filling each others' mouths. That and the sound of their skin slapping together were the only sounds that filled the room as the two of them raced one another to orgasm.

Neither expected anything so glorious than to climax at the same time, but the moment Robin filled Regina with his cum was the precise moment her walls spasmed around his member, milking him for every last drop.

The two of them came down from their high and remained still for a moment, Robin still inside of Regina, as they recovered from such a spellbinding orgasm. Their breaths mingled as they shared sloppy, passionate kisses, and their chests rose and fell in time with one another.

"Regina, you are absolutely stunning in every way," Robin breathed, slowly pulling out of her and moving to rest by her side.

Regina smiled lazily, feeling his seed start to ooze down her legs. She turned on her pillow, facing the man who had just brought her such a great pleasure.

Maybe allowing him to kiss and touch wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Extreme levels of pure fluff ahead. You have been warned. Also, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I honestly didn't think this fic was going to get this far in only a few chapters, so thank you.**

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Regina felt like her stomach was going to cinch up so tight, it would explode and it felt like her heart might give out. She sat in the table in the fertility clinic with Robin standing at her side, his hand clasping hers. She was squeezing his hand so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

"Regina," Robin said softly, raising a hand to place on the small of her back. "You don't need to be nervous."

Regina frowned a little, looking up at him. "Of course I do. They'll be in here to tell us whether the last month has been a complete waste of time or not."

"Whether you think it is or not, I wouldn't trade the past few weeks for the world," Robin said, biting his lower lip in that way that made Regina's belly flutter.

Her frown deepened and she leaned over, jabbing her elbow against him. "Not. Funny."

"I wasn't trying to be," Robin said in a sincere voice, rubbing his side where Regina had elbowed him.

It had been a month since Regina's initial visit. She and Robin had been trying all month in order for this day. Dr. Venus had called in to say Regina's results from the lab were back and so, Regina had come in for her appointment, Robin insisting that he came, too, since this involved the both of them. If the results came back with good news, they'd perform a pregnancy test to see whether Regina had conceived or not.

When Dr. Venus finally appeared in the room, she looked between Regina and Robin for a moment before a warm smile appeared on her face. "Is this to be the father?" she asked, holding a hand out to Robin.

He shook her hand and smiled. "I'm Robin," he said.

"He's going to be the father, yes," Regina replied, a blush creeping up into her cheeks, as one always did when discussing that particular subject.

"Very good, and have the two of you been trying like I asked?" Dr. Venus inquired as she set down her clipboard and turned towards the couple with a smile.

Regina nodded. "We have," she replied.

"Quite often," Robin added, earning himself a nasty glare from Regina and a bout of laughter from the fertility doctor.

"Very well, you two. I suppose that means a pregnancy test is in order," Dr. Venus said, allowing the two to do the math for themselves.

Regina's eyes widened and her hand gave Robin's a squeeze. "My results came back normal?"

Dr. Venus nodded, a large smile playing out on her face. "They did. Although, they've shown, with a little help from science and magic, that once there was a bit of abnormality in your reproductive organs. About three years ago, which could be at any point in time during the twenty-eight years we were under the Dark Curse. Or before."

"How is that even–?"

"Regina!" Robin interrupted in excitement. "I've got it! You cast that curse for your own happiness, correct? To make you happy and everyone else miserable."

Regina nodded and swallowed thickly. "I did. But can we please not talk about my past sins?"

"That's not what this is about. Regina, it's obvious that your happy ending is a child. Henry made you the woman you are now. But, is it possible that the Dark Curse fixed your infertility? You said it would take powerful magic to reverse the curse. The Dark Curse is the most powerful magic to have ever been used ever since magic itself existed," Robin reminded Regina. "It must've cured you."

Regina smiled slightly at the thought, considering Robin's words. It would make sense. In designing the curse, she had the brief thought of wanting a child, but knew it could never be, especially in The Land Without Magic. The Dark Curse must be stronger than its user.

"That's very likely, Robin," Regina said, and the amount of hope that filled her then was so powerful, Regina had to take a moment to catch her breath.

Dr. Venus, who had remained quiet, smiled wide. "Well, then, are you ready to see if there's a baby already growing?" she asked and the couple eagerly nodded their heads.

"Alright. When was the last time the two of you tried?" Dr. Venus asked.

"Five days ago," Regina answered, her face growing warm.

"And the first time?" Dr. Venus queried, tipping her head.

"The very day of my first appointment," Regina replied.

The doctor nodded. "Alright, well, we will try a urine test. There's still a possibility that you could be pregnant if this is negative. It just might mean that your body hasn't started to release pregnancy hormones yet. You probably haven't experienced symptoms yet, have you?"

Regina shook her head and then paused. "My period was scheduled for two days ago, but it hasn't come yet."

Dr. Venus nodded. "Okay. If you don't get it within a week and this test isn't positive, take another one."

After that, Regina was given a test to take. She felt nervous, her heart fluttering, her chest tightened, her stomach churning. Dr. Venus had taken the test off, leaving her and Robin in the room. Robin seemed to sense Regina's anxiety, for he pulled her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest.

"Regina, dear, there's no need to be nervous," he said softly, his fingers gently threading through her silky ebony tresses. "If the test isn't positive, we'll just keep trying until you take one that is."

Regina heaved a shaky sigh. "I just want my baby," she whispered, low enough that he almost couldn't hear it, but he did.

"I know. I do, too, but this takes patience," he said softly. "At least we can be glad you can have children. That is such a blessing."

That brought a smile to Regina's lips, one that Robin couldn't help but bend down and softly kiss away, for he has told her that he always loved it when she smiled. It was his favorite sight to see, more beautiful than the forests he had lived in for years. He had been doing that lately, kissing her outside of the bedroom, always complimenting her, but it was moments like these when his lips tenderly brushed against hers, that she didn't mind it.

Robin pulled back after a moment, letting his fingers gently trace Regina's jawline, tickling her skin. His gaze met hers, ocean blue on earthy brown. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his mouth remained shut, his jaw flexed, and he looked away, still holding Regina to him.

Dr. Venus returned with the test in her hands and Robin and Regina stood to attention, both of them anxious now. Regina twiddled her thumbs, feeling her heart pounding so quickly, she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

"Well, the results are back," the doctor said in a voice that showed no excitement. "I'm sorry, but it's a negative."

All of that hope that had fired up inside of her at the news of truly being fertile again vanished, as if someone had snuffed out a candle. Regina's shoulders sagged and her head hung in discouragement.

"Don't fret, Regina," Dr. Venus said. "Try another in a week if you don't get your period. Keep trying for a baby, too," she added. "You'll get there, it just might take a little extra work and patience."

Regina nodded silently before turning to look up at Robin. "Come on, let's go," she said as she hopped off the table. "Thank you, Dr. Venus."

"You're welcome," the doctor replied. "Call me if you get any positive feedback. We'll start scheduling appointments for you to make sure that you and the baby are in good condition throughout pregnancy. Good luck to the both of you."

With that, Robin and Regina left the fertility clinic and silently got into the car. Regina stared out the front windshield in a daze, refusing the urge to cry.

"Hey," Robin said softly, placing a gentle hand on Regina's knee. "Don't be so sad. You'll have a baby soon. I promise. We can try again as soon as we get home if it'll make you feel better."

Regina shook her head. "I'm just going to take a bubble bath," she said.

Robin chuckled softly. "Alright, you can take a bubble bath, then. Now, how about some lunch first. What do you want?"

"Can we just grab some Granny's for the ride home?" Regina asked. She didn't want to be out in public while feeling this way. She just wanted to go home.

Robin nodded and leaned over, brushing his lips to Regina's temple. "It's going to be alright," he murmured, pressing his nose into her hair, breathing her in for a moment before he pulled away.

The two of them ran through Granny's and snacked on the way home. Regina shifted uncomfortably in her seat once they were pulling into the driveway, wrapping up her half-eaten cheeseburger and sticking it back into the takeout bag.

"Something wrong?" Robin asked in concern. "You always finish your food."

Regina shrugged her shoulders. "My stomach hurts. That's all."

After parking the car, Robin climbed out and went around to open the door for Regina. "Where's it hurting?" he asked, watching as she pointed to her lower stomach.

Suddenly, her face paled and tears filled her eyes without her control.

"Regina?" Robin asked in alarm, his brows knitting close together.

"It's my period," she said, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go inside."

Regina brushed past Robin and headed up to the porch to unlock her front door, feeling very discouraged. She knew she should be happy that children were a possibility, but the negative pregnancy test and now her period... It was enough to damper her mood.

Once they were inside, Regina turned to Robin. "I'm going to go take that bath now," she said.

Robin nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. "Sounds like you're in perfect need of a massage. It might help you feel better."

Regina smiled slightly at the idea. The two of them had never bathed together before, but she was cramping and upset and there was no better remedy than having Robin's arms around her.

"Okay, then. Let's go," she replied and took towards the steps, leading the way to her room as she had many times before. This time, they passed the bed and went for Regina's bathroom.

Regina ran the hot water and added some bubbles to the mix. As the water was running, Robin and Regina stripped down. Regina frowned when she pulled her panties off to find the little red drops to confirm her suspicions. She was on her period and that meant no baby.

Once the tub was full, Robin shut the water off and climbed in first, settling down with his back against the wall. Regina climbed in after him, sitting between his legs. She leaned her back against his chest and her head settled against his shoulder.

Robin's arms wrapped around Regina's waist and he leaned down, peppering tender kisses against her neck and shoulders. "Now, you just relax," he told her.

Robin's hands traveled up Regina's sides and to her arms. He began to knead his thumbs into her shoulder blades, causing a soft sigh to escape her lips.

"You know, maybe the reason you're not getting pregnant because you're stressing about it too much," Robin said, speaking softly, his words most likely brought on by the taut muscles in Regina's back. "The next time we try, don't focus on the thought of if it will get you pregnant or not. Think about the pleasure and how sex makes you feel."

Regina nodded. At this point, she was desperate enough to just focus on the delight Robin brought her, even if it was dangerous for her. "I'll try."

"Good," Robin murmured, moving his hands down her arms, her sides, until he reached her hips. His fingers skidded across the skin that covered the area hurting the most.

Ever so gently, Robin pressed his fingers there, kneading that area to relieve Regina's pain. Slowly, Regina leaned her head further back into Robin and let her eyes flutter closed. Robin's lips brushed over her eyelids as his hands worked their magic.

"Does that feel any better?" he asked, nuzzling his head against Regina's neck.

She nodded, allowing Robin to kiss and massage away her pains and worries. "Yes, I do," she replied. "Thank you for doing this."

"No need to thank me. I'd do anything for you," Robin said, his hands smoothing over Regina's delicate skin.

She sighed at his gentle touches, enjoying the way his slippery hands felt as he glided them across her skin. He moved a ways up her belly, until his hand was rubbing circles around her navel. Robin's lips continued to pepper her shoulder and neck with affectionate kisses.

"We should do this more often," Robin said, his hands trailing upwards until they cupped Regina's breasts. He began to knead them slowly, his thumb and forefinger pinching gently around her nipples, eliciting a soft moan from her when he began to tease them. "Is that your agreement?"

"I guess you'll have to find out," Regina quipped, smirking slightly. Her back arched and she pressed her breasts further into Robin's hands.

Robin chuckled softly and kissed her cheek. "There's my Regina," he replied, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to her lips, sounding proud that he had cheered her up and brought back her normal, witty self instead of the sulky, disappointed version of her that he'd had to deal with today. But he had also called her his. She supposed that, while he was the one kissing her, pleasuring her, bedding her, she was, in a way, his. And soon, she would be carrying a child that was his, too. And as much as she would like to give him her heart, to give herself to him completely, not just her body and her baby, Regina couldn't. She couldn't do that. She couldn't repeat the past.

The two of them stayed in the tub like that, Robin's hands exploring and touching the sensitive parts of her body, occasionally stealing a kiss from her lips, until the water began to cool. At that point, Robin stood Regina up and drained the water from the tub before turning the shower on. The hot water doused the both of them, washing the bubbles from their bodies. Robin grabbed a loofah and squirted a bit of Regina's cinnamon-scented body wash onto it.

"Turn around," he told Regina and she turned with her back facing him. He slowly ran the loofah across her back and shoulders, taking his time. He swiped it over her arms and sides before having her turn around again so that he could clean her shoulders, chest, abdomen. He spent minutes gently cleaning her body and when it was time to rinse her off, he gingerly took her wrists and pulled her against him, under the flow of the water.

Regina settled her head against Robin's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her wet body. Regina curled her arms around his waist and allowed Robin to slowly rock her back and forth in his arms, his nose buried in her hair. His hands slowly ran along her back and Regina completely melted into Robin's arms, her body becoming so relaxed it felt weightless.

Robin simply held Regina for a moment longer before pulling back and squirting some shampoo into his hands. His fingers threaded through Regina's hair as he lathered it thoroughly, his fingers gently scraping against her scalp. Robin leaned forward, his lips brushing against Regina's forehead, hands still tangled in her hair.

"After this, go ahead and get changed into some pajamas. I'll bring you along an Advil for your cramps and then I want you to go take a nap to sleep off the rest of your stress. How's that sound?" Robin asked as he pulled back and began to rinse out Regina's hair.

"Good," she replied.

Once she was all clean, Robin climbed out of the shower and turned the water off before grabbing two towels. He wrapped one around his waist and held the other one out for Regina. As she climbed out of the shower, he wrapped it around her, drawing her into his arms.

"Go get cozy," he murmured and was reluctant to let go. He kept Regina for a moment longer, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she sighed contentedly before pulling away. As she went to get her pajamas, he changed back into his clothes and headed downstairs.

Regina dried herself off and changed into her favorite pair of silk pajamas and her fuzzy black robe. She then climbed into her bed and snuggled beneath the covers.

Robin returned a few moments later with two glasses of red wine and two tablets of Advil. He set the glasses on the nightstand and leaned over the bed, handing them to Regina before giving her a glass. He climbed into bed beside her and grabbed his own cup of wine.

Regina tipped back the Advil before washing it down with a sip of wine. She set the cup down on her nightstand and smiled over at Robin who took a sip of his own drink.

"Thank you," she said softly and watched as Robin set his glass down before angling his body to face her. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"As I said, no need to thank me. Anything to help you feel better. I can't stand to see you so upset," Robin replied.

Regina smiled softly and gravitated herself into Robin's arms, which responded instantly by cocooning her in his hold, where she always felt safe, warm, and loved. She laid her head against his shoulder, her legs tangling with his beneath the duvet. Robin rested his head against Regina's and his arms began to move as they always did. One hand traced along Regina's spine, the other rubbing her shoulder.

"Mmm... You smell delightful if I do say so myself," Robin said.

"Are you saying I never smell good?" Regina inquired, smirking slightly.

"Not at all. You always smell divine it's just... I've never smelled you straight out of the shower and I don't know, it just struck me," Robin replied.

"Mhm, well, thank you," Regina replied, cuddling closer as she placed one hand over Robin's heart.

The hand that slowly rubbed her shoulder lifted and Robin cupped Regina's cheek, this thumb skidding across her skin. He hooked his fingers beneath her chin, causing her to look up at him with a questioning expression, wondering what he wanted. With a small smile, Robin bent down, his lips capturing hers for a tender kiss. Their lips glided along one another's for what seemed like an eternity, neither wanting to part from the other. Regina's hand curled into the fabric of Robin's shirt, dragging him closer to her. His lips tasted like the wine he had just been drinking.

Slowly, Robin rolled Regina onto her back, kissing her more thoroughly. His lips were still soft yet passionate against hers. She loved the way he flicked her bottom lip with his tongue, seeking entrance into her mouth. Regina's lips parted and Robin's tongue plunged into her warm mouth, their tongues playing together leisurely.

Regina's hands were trapped between them and so she slowly undid a few buttons on Robin's shirt, her fingertips running along his muscled chest. His hand snuck back into her hair, gently kneading her scalp as they kissed.

Regina's foot wormed its way beneath Robin's pant leg as their legs tangled together and her toes ran along his skin.

Robin's tongue slowly explored Regina's mouth for a few seconds more before he reluctantly pulled back, smiling down at the precious angel beneath him with a flushed face and rosy cheeks, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. That was the longest kiss they'd ever shared that hadn't lead to shed clothes and eager, exploring hands and mouths.

Robin placed his hands right above Regina's shoulders, holding his weight off of her. "I will never get tired of those kisses," he cooed, leaning in to steal yet another that lasted for a few seconds more. As Robin pulled away, he gently sank his teeth into Regina's bottom lip, sucking it for a moment before releasing it. "Or those lovely, full lips of yours."

Regina managed a soft smile, but her mind as elsewhere, trying to imagine what the two of them would do after life was growing inside of her and they didn't need to do all of this anymore. Really, they didn't need to be doing this anyways, but Regina had slowly been warming up to Robin's adamant affection towards her, because even though she couldn't admit it to herself – never – she loved it, and she loved _him_.

Robin's lips connected once more with Regina's as he drank in her lips, enjoying the feeling of her body against his. His hands ran along her body before he pulled away and reluctantly rolled off of her. "I've kept you enough. Go to sleep," he said, his side pressed up against hers, one arm curled under her body, which looked so little as she laid there in her bathrobe and silk pajamas.

Regina snuggled into Robin's side, curled up tightly. Her eyes shut and she slowly drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man who loved her more than anything, even if she didn't know it.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For this chapter, I decided to switch things up. This time, it'll be entirely from Robin's point of view. Also, sorry for taking longer than normal – the holidays are busy!**

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He had to leave her today for only a few days, but Robin knew it was going to feel like centuries. He had been spending a lot of time lately with Regina. They'd been trying for two months now, but still none of the tests were positive and she wasn't showing any symptoms of pregnancy yet. The two of them spent at least one or two nights a week together, and sometimes, they were together during the day when neither of them had to work. On the occasion, it wasn't even sex that brought them together. Robin simply enjoyed his time cuddling Regina while curled up on the couch watching a movie or he liked to treat her to lunch. That said, all his extra time was with Regina – Regina or his son – and his friends had been feeling a bit distanced so Robin had agreed to a camping trip that was just him, David, Killian, Will, and Little John. Despite it being December, the weather was good enough for such a thing, even if it was just a little chillier than normal.

He'd be leaving Regina alone and he tried to take up all the time he could with her before heading out. She currently laid by his side, as naked as she was the day she was born. She was deep in thought, Robin could tell by the scrunch of her brow, and she ran her hand along his chest, her fingertips tracing the angry red marks she had made on his skin last night.

Robin's eyes traveled down her body, taking in every detail. The covers had pooled by her waist, but she had slipped her legs out of them as well. He admired her curves and smooth olive skin, wondering how he had gotten so lucky to call such a beautiful, wonderful woman his.

 _Not yet_ , Robin reminded himself. Regina wasn't his yet. She was just his best friend who he happened to be madly in love with, who was to be the mother of his child, but she wasn't his because he didn't know if she felt the same way as he did. He didn't know if she wanted to be.

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours, hm?" Robin asked, breaking the silence.

Regina's rhythm stopped, her hand stilling against his chest. "Just thinking," she replied.

"You're always doing that," Robin murmured, bending down to kiss her head. He breathed in the sweet scent of cinnamon that Regina always had around her, easily making it his favorite smell in the whole world and he didn't want to forget her smell while he was gone. "What is it you're thinking about?"

"Just about the future... our baby," Regina answered after turning into her back to stare thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Do you think I'll ever get pregnant, Robin? It's been two months."

"Yes I do," he replied. "I don't care if it takes us another year."

Regina smiled at that and Robin rolled onto his side, splaying his hand across her belly. Regina's delicate hand covered his, following his movements as Robin slowly ran his fingers along her skin.

"You never know, maybe we have a little one here with us right now," Robin said hopefully.

Regina chuckled. She sat up and bit her lips before climbing on top of Robin as he rolled onto his back and she straddled his hips. She leaned over him and kissed his lips, her hands cupping his face. Robin returned her kiss, his lips moving passionately against hers. His arms wrapped around her slender body, running along the curve of her spine and down to her ass, which he gripped between his fingers.

When the two of them pulled back, Robin smiled up at Regina, who grinned down at him mischievously. "What was that for?" he asked, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face, tucking it neatly behind her ears.

"No reason," Regina replied before settling down on top of Robin, nuzzling her head against his neck.

"I'm going to miss waking up to this every morning," Robin said, hands lightly palming at Regina's ass. "I love waking up to your body cuddled against mine, these kisses and touches, your smile and laughter. And the morning sex is certainly a plus."

"Is that what you want now?" Regina inquired, grinding her hips against his half-hard member, which was beginning to stiffen at the thoughts of the naked woman on top of him and the many nights of pleasure they'd already shared together.

"Not exactly," Robin replied. "I want the I-won't-see-you-for-a-few-days sex." His hand drifted into her hair, his fingers curling through it. He ran his nose along her forehead as they snuggled together. "I'm going to miss you."

"And I, you," she replied.

"And thank you, Regina, for agreeing to watch Roland for me," Robin whispered, ghosting his hand along her jawline, knowing how much Regina loved the gentle caress, for she leaned her cheek into his palm in the very way Copper did when he wanted his head scratched. Sure enough, her cheek was nuzzling his hand. He almost said he loved her out loud when she did that, but he wanted to be sure of her feelings before he admitted that and lest he had her shying away from him after opening up so much.

"It's not a problem. We'll have a lot of fun. Henry's going to come over one day and the three of us are going to bake Christmas cookies," Regina said.

"That sounds like fun. Make sure you leave me a few," Robin said with a chuckle.

"I will," Regina promised.

Robin looked over at the clock. It was already nine in the morning. If he wanted time to completely worship Regina's body before he had to go, he'd better start now.

"But I do believe I made a promise of my own," he said. "And I'm a man of my word, so I believe I had better give the pretty lady what she wants."

Regina nodded eagerly, brushing her slick folds over his hardening length to remind him of his promise. "You won't see me for a few days either," she said.

"All the more reason," Robin replied, hooking his fingers under Regina's chin to tip her head up. He captured her lips in a heated kiss, their lips molding together and tongues dueling for dominance.

Robin let Regina win, since she was on top anyways. They hadn't experimented much in their sex lives with each other. Robin was perfectly fine with giving Regina all the pleasure and only partaking in what came for him during intercourse. Seeing Regina sexually satisfied was what he truly strived for – that, and getting one of his little swimmers to get her pregnant. This was really the first time the two of them had done anything different, so Robin wondered where Regina was going to go now that she was in complete control.

She didn't waste any time. Regina was a woman of business, Robin knew that well. When she wanted something, she took it. She pressed her hands against Robin's chest, lifting herself up and positioning herself over his throbbing member, which ached to be inside of her. Regina slowly lowered herself down on to him as he sank deeper into her. She took him inch by inch. Robin absolutely loved the way they fit perfectly together. Regina's tight walls would stretch around his cock until he filled her up entirely and it was the best feeling either of them had experienced.

Slowly, Regina began to move up and down. Robin sat himself up, intent on keeping Regina's lips on his. His hands rested against Regina's hips, guiding her movements as she rocked against him. Robin held her close to him, kissing her until her lips were swollen. He made sure his goodbye kiss was well worth it. He then began to decorate her neck in soft kisses, his eagerness increasing with each moan and whimper that escaped Regina's lips as she continued to ride him. Regina wasn't very loud during sex, so when she was noisy like this, Robin knew she was getting thorough enjoyment and pleasure.

Her arms looped around his neck and tugged at his hair, pulling Robin closer to her, pressing him up against her skin. He always knew these little movements meant she wanted more, so he began to suck on her neck and nipped lightly at her skin before soothing with his tongue. This seemed to excite Regina, for she picked up the pace, riding him harder. Robin moaned against Regina's skin, his hands running up and down her sides as he continued to lavish her neck, shoulders, and collarbones in kisses.

"Robin... I–I'm gonna–" Regina stuttered, her hips jutting desperately against his. She was close and her walls were beginning to tighten around his length.

"Cum for me, Regina," Robin murmured, lightly palming her ass, urging her to take him deeper as her movements became frantic. Her hands drifted down his chest as and she spasmed around his cock, her nails dug into his flesh, creating more of the marks she had left on him last night.

Feeling her tighten around him made Robin rapidly approach his peak and as Regina rode out her orgasm, Robin thrusted inside her a few more times, before cumming, filling her with his seed.

Exhausted, the two of them collapsed back onto the bed after Robin had emptied himself and pulled out of her. Regina tumbled on top of him, her chest heaving with labored breaths. Her skin was perspiring from her hard work, of which Robin rewarded with soft kisses against her neck as the two of them caught their breaths.

"How was that for I'll-miss-you sex?" Robin asked and smirked when as saw Regina's lips twitch up into a smile.

"Perfect," she hummed.

"I should probably go get ready," Robin said after a moment, sitting them both up. Regina was still straddling him and so Robin pulled her closer. "And I recommend you wear a collared shirt today," he added, nuzzling his nose against her neck, where he had left a number of hickeys.

"Robin... You did not..." Regina said, her voice threatening.

Robin smirked up at her and leaned up to press an apologetic kiss to her cheek. "Now you have something to remember me by," he said, his eyes studying her scowling face which most people would be scared of, but he just stared at it, dumbfounded, wondering how one woman could be so absolutely stunning. "Can I make it up to you in the shower?" he tried. "Showering together saves water."

Regina rolled off of him with a small smirk. "Come on, thief," she said, walking naked into the bathroom, swaying her hips in a way that made Robin's cock twitch. She knew what she was doing to him.

Regina was already running the water when Robin entered the bathroom, running her hand beneath the shower head to make sure it was not too hot or not too cold. Once she liked the temperature, she climbed into the shower, Robin following.

Before either of them had a chance to say a word, Robin had Regina pressed against the wall, his mouth on hers and his hands exploring her body.

Regina's lips moved eagerly against Robin's as they kissed and she used her hands to drag him closer to her so that she was pressed between him and the wall. Robin dragged his tongue along her bottom lip, always his way of asking for entrance. Regina's mouth opened for him and he familiarized himself with her mouth before gingerly sucking on her tongue. His hands made work of her breasts, kneading them so that Regina hummed in appreciation against his lips. He pinched her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, twisting them to get them to harden.

"Ouch!" Regina yelped, pulling herself away from Robin, grabbing his wrists and yanking his hands off of her. She looked up at him with an angry expression, and she also looked offended, like a kicked puppy. "Robin, that hurt."

Robin frowned a little at her remark. He hadn't been too rough, he didn't think, had been doing what he had done for the past two months. "I'm sorry, Regina," he replied, his soft voice causing her to release his arms.

Suddenly, she looked scared. Her face had paled, her eyes were watery and her lip trembled. Was she about to cry? Had he really hurt her _that_ badly?

"Babe, don't cry. I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to cup her cheeks, but Regina gasped sharply and turned her head away. Robin frowned a little. "Regina, what's the matter?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest as if she was trying to hide herself, and she let her wet hair cover her eyes.

"Regina, please," Robin pleaded. "Tell me what's the matter."

She cast her eyes up slowly, her gaze swimming in unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Robin," she murmured, wiping at her eyes. "It's just... King Leopold... He used to–"

Robin got the picture. He gingerly pulled Regina into his arms, acting slow to give her enough time to shy away if she didn't want touched. She gravitated to him, however, her head falling into the crook of his neck. Robin rubbed her back in soothing circles and pulled them beneath the flow of the warm water to relax her.

"I want you to know that I would never hurt you on purpose, Regina," he said softly, running his other hand over her hair. "And I'm sorry that I have. You know I'm careful with you. I don't know... I guess maybe I got a little caught up in the moment."

"It's okay," Regina whispered and she placed a soft kiss to Robin's shoulder. "I'm sorry I got angry and then started crying... It's just very triggering."

"Don't apologize, it's alright," Robin assured. He began to rock them slowly back and forth, feeling better when Regina sighed contentedly and her body slackened against his. "Here, let me wash you off," he said, grabbing her shampoo.

He began to lather down her hair, smiling as she didn't move from her spot, her head still buried against his shoulder. Once he was finished, he pulled her under the flow of the water, watching as the suds tumbled down from her hair, down her body and into the drain. Robin then grabbed a loofah and her cinnamon-scented body wash and began to wash her body. When she was all clean, he sent her out so she could to get ready before he cleaned himself.

When Robin was finished, he got dressed into one of the few outfits he had been keeping at Regina's and combed his hair before making his way downstairs to the smell of bacon.

Regina was standing there, preparing a breakfast for them. She had put on a high-collared black jacket over a t-shirt to help hide Robin's love marks, and wore a pair of jeans that made her ass look great (it already did on its own but the jeans enhanced it).

"Hey," Regina greeted as Robin made his way over to her, eying the food hungrily.

"This smells delicious," he remarked, looking over the plate of bacon already made, just begging to be eaten. There were also fried eggs being made, which Robin found odd, considering Regina liked scrambled eggs better.

Regina rolled her eyes playfully. "This isn't for you, Robin," she informed him, raising a brow. "This is for Roland." Ah, that explained the fried eggs. Those were the boy's favorite.

"What a shame," Robin said as he pulled Regina into his arms, cradling her small body against him. "I'm going to go get him before this all gets cold. Can I have a kiss?"

Regina chuckled and leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. Robin kissed her back tenderly, slowly removing one hand to snatch a piece of bacon off of the plate. He pulled back with a guilty smile and watched the scowl form on her face when he lifted the bacon strip to his lips and took a bite.

"You tricked me," Regina whined, her shoulders sagging. "Robin of Locksley, your better get your ass out of my house right now before I turn you into bacon," she threatened after, a playful look in her eyes.

Robin chuckled and took another bite of bacon, watching as Regina's pouted her lips in disapproval. He leaned in, pecking those lips he loved so much. "I'll be back with Roland shortly," he said, before turning to go.

Robin returned not long after with his son, who skipped happily up to the gate of Regina's mansion. He fumbled with the lock, trying to get it open so that he could see his favorite person in all of Storybrooke (next to Robin, of course). Robin chuckled at his son's excitement before opening the gate for him. The boy squealed in excitement and ran to the porch, ringing the doorbell.

"Hold your horses, my boy," Robin chuckled as he pushed the door open, allowing the child to run inside with elated hollers of, 'Gina! Gina!'

When Robin followed his son inside, he found him embracing Regina in the kitchen. She hoisted him up into her arms and kissed the top of his head. "Good morning, my little knight," she said, using the affectionate title she had given his son back in the Enchanted Forest.

Robin watched in admiration as his son threw his arms around Regina's neck, hugging her tight.

"Are you hungry, Roland? I made breakfast," she said and Roland perked up, his eyes wide as he nodded. Regina set him down and guided him to the table, Robin following behind them.

After she got Roland situated, she finally turned her focus on to Robin, who smiled softly at her. "I'd best be on my way, milady," he said.

Regina stepped up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. They stayed like that for a while, Robin indulging in the kiss for a few long moments before pulling back.

"Goodbye, Robin," she said.

"I'll see you soon, milady," Robin replied and bent down so that his face was in front of her stomach. He peeled her shirt up and pressed a soft kiss into her skin. "And I'll return to you, little one," he murmured to her belly before standing up. He smiled at Regina, who had tears in her eyes. "Just in case we have one in there," he said.

Regina smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek before going to sit down at the table. Robin came over and kissed Roland's head. "I'll be back in a few days, my boy. You behave for Regina, now, okay? She's doing me a big favor by watching you."

Roland looked up at his father and nodded. "Yes, Daddy," he replied. "See you later."

"See you later, monkey," Robin chuckled and kissed his son's head again. "I love you."

Roland smiled up at him. "Love you, too, Daddy."

With that, Robin left his son with Regina and headed for the camp site that everyone would be setting up at after returning to his men's camp to grab his luggage. When he found the location of David, Killian, Will, and John.

"There you are, Robin!" John exclaimed. "We were worried you weren't going to show."

Robin chuckled slightly. "Sorry. I had to drop Roland off at Regina's."

"I thought you stayed over," Will piped up, peeking up from behind his tent. "Couldn't you have taken him last night?"

"No," Robin replied shortly before getting to work setting his tent up, ignoring the four sets of eyes suddenly on him. They didn't know that he and Regina were trying for a baby or that they were more than friends, but it appeared they did now. Damn it.

"Woah, mate. When were you going to tell us that you and the Queen were knocking hips?" Killian asked.

Robin sighed and glanced back at his friends. "It's not what you think," he said, scowling when he saw their mischievous smirks and eyes that were eager to hear the details. "And you were going to find out eventually... Whenever Regina decided to announce the baby publicly."

"Baby?" David asked, his eyebrows shooting up in shock. "Regina's pregnant?"

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "Not yet. Well, at least as far as we know," he replied, watching the men's faces turn into confused frowns. He sighed, deciding to tell them everything. "Regina wants a baby and she asked me to be the father."

"Ah, so that's why you've been spending more time with her than normal," John said. "For a moment there, I thought you'd finally decided which best friend was truly the best."

Robin chuckled. "Don't worry, John, I haven't replaced you. Although, Regina's face is much more pleasant to look at while having a conversation."

The men shared a laugh at that, even John, who knew and accepted the fact that he was a very gruff fellow in appearance. The men returned to setting up their tents, but Robin felt their eyes still on him.

"Aye, mate, I know that look," Killian spoke up. "I see it in David's eyes every time he looks upon his beloved Mary Margaret," he said, earning him a playful slap in the chest by the prince.

"I haven't seen that look on your face since before Roland's mother passed," John said softly.

"I've never seen a look quite like that before. Not out of ole' Robbie. The bloke is more in love than I've ever seen 'em," Will added, smirking at Robin.

"You're in love with her, aren't you, Robin?" David asked, offering his friend a wide, proud grin.

Robin sighed and looked back at his friends, giving in to their question with a nod. "I am," he replied. "Our new relationship has awakened me. But... my feelings aside, nothing is going to happen between us. It's solely to give her a child and once that's over, we'll go back to normal."

"Robin, it's never going to go back to normal," Killian told him. "The two of you will have a child together someday soon. It sure as hell changed my life and Emma's and we're married. I can only imagine the changes laid out for you and Regina."

"I know," Robin replied, nodding his head. "I mean... normal as in just being friends again."

"You're to be the father of her child. You two will always be more than friends," David said. "I think you should tell her how you feel."

"Not a good idea," Robin argued, his gaze falling in David. "She specifically told me she didn't want this to change our relationship. She wants us to remain friends."

"Mate, I think everyone here knows that's just a woman's way of telling herself not to fall in love," Killian spoke up again. "Tell her. It'll do you both good."

"I don't know..." Robin said hesitantly.

"Come on, Rob," Will said. "Grow a pair and confront the lass about your feelings."

"I just don't want to lose her, not while she potentially has our child. I don't want to risk losing both of them," Robin told his companions, shaking his head.

"Regina is a reasonable woman. Even if you're right and she doesn't want to take your relationship to the next level, I know she would still let you be in your child's life," John said, earning himself a nod of agreement from the others.

After that, the men finished setting up their camp. They ate lunch around the warm bonfire and spent the rest of their day hiking, fishing, and honing their archery skills. By nighttime, the air was cooler than it had been that month and so the men skipped dinner, retiring to their respective tents to keep warm. As Robin climbed beneath the sleeping bag, his phone rang. He picked it up immediately, seeing it was Regina.

"Hello? Regina? Is everything alright?" Robin asked once he had gotten connected to the other line.

"Everything is fine," Regina assured and then sighed softly. "Well... Kind of. Roland's come down with a fever, I'm afraid," she said.

Robin frowned a little at the bad news. "He's sick? I'll be over right away to pick him up and take him–"

"I can take care of him," Regina said, cutting Robin off. "I just called to let you know, but I can care for him until your trip is done with."

"No, it's alright. I'll come home if I have to. He usually wants me when he's sick. Ask him if he wants me there," Robin said.

Robin heard Regina ask his son if he wanted his father and then heard her chuckle on the other line, as well as her lips kissing his head. "He didn't reply, just snuggled more into me. I think I win this one, Robin," she said.

Robin sighed slightly. "Alright. Are you sure you don't mind caring for him these next few days?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Of course not," Regina said. "Henry won't let me take care of him when he's sick anymore." He got what she meant. She wanted to take care of Roland.

"Very well. Call me if you need anything or if you want me to come home early," Robin said.

"I will. See you soon, Robin," Regina said.

Robin smiled slightly. "See you soon. I'll miss you. Be home soon," he said before hanging up.

This was going to be a long camping trip, missing Regina _and_ knowing his son was sick.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you all had a wonderful New Years! I know I did. Let's give it up for 2016! It's gonna be a good year. I want to get one more chapter in. After this, I'll work on another of "Kidnap My Heart", I promise!**

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The next few days passed quickly for Regina because she was busy caring for Roland, who had come down with a nasty sickness. He felt so bad that he didn't have enough strength to make Christmas cookies. He laid on her couch watching cartoons and movies all day, coughing and sneezing, eating bowls of chicken noodle soup because that was all he could keep down. He ran a temperature of one hundred and one degrees which Regina worked to keep down with medicine and cool rags.

Oftentimes, Roland wouldn't want anything but to be held, and so Regina was settle down on the couch and pull him into her lap. He would play his head on her shoulder and fall asleep. It's usually how she got him down for a nap, because otherwise he would feel to miserable to go to sleep.

However, on the morning Robin was to arrive home, Regina woke up with a throbbing headache and felt very queasy from the start. She sat up in bed, taking a moment to still herself as her vision spotted. Once her vision had cleared, she stood up slowly, her limbs trembling, her legs feeling as weak and unstable as jello. She stumbled into the bathroom and braced herself against the counter, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, her face was pale, save her cheeks which had flushed red.

 _Oh no!_ She had come down with Roland's sickness. Regina sighed and reached into the medicine cabinet, producing a thermometer. She tucked it beneath her tongue and waited until it had finished calculating her temperature before removing it from her mouth. One hundred degrees exactly. Regina grabbed the bottle of Advil and took two tablets to allow them to work on bringing her fever down, take away her headache, and remove the nauseous feeling that had her stomach doing somersaults. She then turned and climbed into the shower, allowing cool water to run along her burning flesh.

After her shower, Regina climbed out feeling slightly better than before, but she could definitely tell she felt sick. Her stomach still felt ready to release any contents it had, so Regina skipped out on breakfast. She slipped into her coziest pair of pajamas and slowly descended down the steps to see Roland already awake. He seemed to be doing a little better, for he was sitting up for the first time in days and already had the television on and a big bloodhound in his lap. Copper hadn't left little Roland's side since he had come down with a fever.

"Good morning, Roland," Regina greeted as she made her way over to him and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "And good morning, Copper," she added when the dog looked up at her with his droopy eyes.

Roland craned his neck to smile up at her. "Good morning, Gina. I feel better today!" He informed, his grin widening.

"That's good," Regina replied. "It looks like you given me your germs, though. Now I'm feeling a little under the weather."

Robin's smile faded, his lips dragging into a frown. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically.

"It's not your fault, Roland," Regina said as she moved to sit beside him, unsure if she could handle standing any longer. "These things just happen when you're around sick people," she assured and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Okay," Roland said. He gravitated towards Regina and laid his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers through his thick curls. "Gina, I'm hungry."

"Hungry, hm? What do you feel like eating?" She asked. The last thing Regina wanted to do was get up and fix something for Roland while she felt so horrible but she knew she would.

"Just a Poptart," Roland replied, blinking his warm brown eyes at her.

Regina inwardly sighed with relief and got up off the couch long enough to fetch Roland a Poptart and put food in the dog bowl, which got Copper into the kitchen to munch on his meal. She didn't eat anything however, that nauseous feeling still rumbling around tumultuously in her stomach. She was afraid any eating would make her throw up. Roland, too, had been finicky with food the first few days of his illness.

As Roland munched on his Poptart, Regina found herself nodding off to sleep. She only realized it when Copper returned to the living room and jumped back up on the couch, deciding Regina's lap would be a nice place to put his head and big, clumsy paws. Regina gently stroked the dog's velvety ears and let herself fall sale or this time.

When she woke again, it was to the doorbell and Copper practically squishing her into the couch as he jumped off to run to the door. Roland had fallen asleep on her shoulder but was already dashing to the door to answer it. Regina knew that Robin was there at the door and immediately felt bad for dozing off and not getting his son ready to leave.

She stayed on the couch, moving to lie down as she listened to Roland and Robin greet each other.

"Daddy! You're back!" Roland exclaimed and Regina could picture father and son embracing one another.

"And you seem like you're feeling a little better, huh, buddy?" Robin asked.

"Yep!" Roland confirmed.

"So... Where's Regina at?" Robin inquired. "Regina!" He called.

"Shhhhh!" Roland hissed. "Gina's asleep in the living room. She's sick."

"Sick?" Robin asked, his voice drawing closer.

Roland nodded. "I gave her my germs," he said sadly.

Regina kept her eyes closed and listened as Robin approached her. He set Roland down and Regina heard the boy busy himself with the dog. The couch cushions sunk down with Robin's weight and he leaned over Regina, brushing a strand of hair away from her face,

"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up," Robin murmured, and even though she wasn't really asleep, she opened her eyes and looked up at Robin, who smiled down at her sympathetically. "Roland told me that you were sick."

"Yeah, I've got a fever," Regina said, slowly sitting up. "And I have an awful headache. My stomach hurts, too."

Robin nodded and wrapped his arm around Regina, pulling her body close to him. He gingerly placed a hand on her forehead and cheeks. "Mmm... Seems you've come down with what Roland had," Robin confirmed. "Have you eaten anything?"

Regina shook her head at her question, and the mere mention of eating made her stomach churn. "No," she replied. "I'm afraid it'll all just come back up."

Robin nodded and pulled Regina into his lap. Her legs straddled his hips and she leaned forward, burying her head against his neck as his arms looped around her waist. "I believe it's your turn to be taken care of now that you're the sick one," Robin said, his voice soft and soothing against her ear.

"I'll be okay," Regina assured. "It's just a fever. It isn't anything I haven't had before. Plus, I don't want to get you sick."

"I'll be just fine and if I get sick, I get sick. At least I'll be taking care of you," Robin said, gently patting her back with his hand. "Besides, you've taken care of Roland while he was ill. It's only fair someone takes care of you."

Regina smiled softly at Robin's words. Never before had she had someone willingly offer to take care of her while she was sick except for her father back when she was a child. Regina liked the idea of being waited on while she was sick, having someone care for her since, besides her father, she hadn't had that ever.

"Okay," Regina replied, snuggling further into Robin, burying her face against his neck.

Everything settled down after that. Robin had laid back on the couch, a pillow resting between his head and the arm rest. He had pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over himself and Regina, who laid on top of him with her head against his chest. Roland had settled in the chair nearby with the dog, who often got out of his spot to come check on Regina by sniffing her and offering her hand or face, whichever was closest, a few comforting licks. Robin would always pat Copper's head and send him off, telling the dog that as nice as it was that he wanted to check up on his beloved Regina, he kept disturbing her slumber.

And he couldn't have been more right. As Roland and Robin watched Disney movies ( _The Fox and the_ _Hound_ to be exact, in which Roland kept animatedly pointing out to Copper that he was in the movie), Regina was resting, dozing off as one of Robin's hands stroked slowly through her hair, that was until Copper decided to give her kisses. Luckily, Robin and Roland managed to keep the dog away from her, allowing her rest.

Regina slept nearly the entire day and Robin never left her for long. He got up to make Roland some soup for lunch, and managed to get Regina to eat a little of it as well. She was also given another dose of medicine before Robin sent her up to bed for the rest of the day. He followed moments later to hold her for a few hours more, caressing her achy body with his gentle hands and kissing her forehead and cheeks.

"Regina," Robin said softly, his voice breaking through her sleep. It appeared as if she had fallen asleep at some point during the day.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, her eyes glazed over. "Hm?" she asked, her voice soft.

"I'm going to go take Roland home, but then I'll come back to be with you, alright?" he said.

Regina shook her head. "Roland can stay. He can stay another night in the guest room and you can take him home tomorrow."

"Are you sure? I don't want him bothering you if you're sick," Robin said.

"He's been a good, quiet boy all day, Robin. He will be fine," Regina replied, looking up at him through tired eyes. "Let him recover here a day longer. We wouldn't want to risk getting the Merry Men sick."

Robin nodded at Regina's words and kissed the top of her head. "Alright, as my lady wishes. You'll have Roland and I with you all night."

Regina smiled at his words. "Thank you, Robin."

"You're welcome," he replied, his voice suggesting that it wasn't a big deal to him and Regina knew it wasn't. He did like taking care of her, he always had. But it was a big deal to her because she had never had someone like Robin.

"Not just for this," she said. "But for everything you're doing for me and for everything you have done. But especially for helping me have a child," Regina told him.

"No need to thank me. As I've told you plenty of times, I would do absolutely anything for you and I am quite excited for when you finally conceive and give us both a child," Robin said. "How about some dinner. Are you hungry?"

Regina shrugged. Her stomach still felt iffy and she didn't want to push it. "I'll just take a piece of toast. You're welcome to anything down there for yourself and Roland, though."

Robin nodded, slowly moving himself out of the bed, Regina shifting to allow him out easily. She laid back down and got comfortable, accepting a kiss on the forehead from Robin before he left with promises to bring her back a piece of toast.

When Robin disappeared downstairs, Regina grabbed the TV remote and turned the television on. She surfed for a good show or movie to watch to keep her occupied, but the only thing on that even came close to good and entertaining was one of those sappy Hallmark love stories. She settled for that as she waited for her toast.

Robin returned moments later with a paper plate, buttered toast being served on it. He set it down in Regina's lap, along with a glass of water. "Here you are," he said softly. "Roland is eating some macaroni and cheese and I just had some toast as well."

Regina frowned slightly. "Robin, I said you could have anything down there that you wanted," she said. "I don't want you starving."

"I'll be fine. I wasn't that hungry anyways," Robin said as he climbed back into bed next to Regina. "What are you watching?"

As he dismissed the matter of his eating, Regina sighed and turned her attention back to the TV screen. "Just some Hallmark movie. You know, the classic guy meets girl in a New York City clichè, they fall in love and live happily ever after," she said with a scoff, crunching into her piece of toast. "I wish it were that easy."

"They could learn a thing or two about how love actually works," Robin agreed as he snuggled in next to Regina. "Love and I have had quite a tangle for years. I thought I won but she was taken back... I'm just looking for love again. They say it is kinder to you the second time."

"I wish the first would've been enough sometimes. I wouldn't have spent so many years in the darkness... I would've been happy," Regina sighed.

"But, you wouldn't be where you are now if it weren't for first love and neither would I. We owe a lot to Marian and Daniel," Robin said. "I wouldn't have Roland, you wouldn't have cast the curse and adopted Henry. So we wouldn't have had our sons. Or each other."

Regina chuckled sadly, shaking her head. "You wouldn't miss me if you never knew me."

"But I'm glad I do and as much as I miss my wife sometimes, as I'm sure you miss your stable boy, I'm glad I have the life I do now," Robin replied. "I'm glad I have you."

"But if you still had your wife, you could be having your second child with her, not the Evil Queen. I'm sure having a child the woman you love is much more special than just helping your friend get pregnant," Regina said, cringing slightly as she took another bite of her toast.

Robin sighed heavily, the noise causing Regina to look up at him. His mouth was twitching, as if he wanted to say something, but his face was cinched, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to say it.

"You know I don't like it when you talk about yourself that way, Regina," Robin said after a moment. "I don't see you as the Evil Queen. You are so much more than that. And I will be very happy when we have a baby."

Regina's frown deepened and she heaved a long, heavy sigh. She chewed and swallowed the last of her toast and took a sip of water, her eyes focusing on the television screen again. "Robin, can you promise me something else?"

 _Besides the promise I haven't even been able to keep,_ Regina thought, shaking the thought from her mind. _No_ , she did not love Robin. She just loved his care and how good he was in bed. That was it.

"Of course," Robin replied, draping an arm over her shoulder.

"You're a great guy, Robin... And you're very charming. Any woman will be lucky to have you some day – you and Roland. But, promise me that, whenever you decide to settle down, you won't forget about our child," she said, unable to stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. _Or me_.

"I definitely couldn't forget about our child, Regina. Whenever you get pregnant... It'll be the best thing that will have happened to me in a long time, especially since it's with you," he replied, turning to lay on his side and rest a gentle hand on Regina's stomach. "And I don't need any other woman in my life but you."

"Just because I'm going to be the mother of your child someday doesn't mean that you have to–"

Robin cut her off with a gentle kiss, raising a hand to card gently through her raven locks of hair. Regina gave in to the softness of his lips, feeling her body relax beneath his touch, a soft whimper escaping her mouth. Robin kissed her thoroughly for what seemed like an eternity before pulling back.

"What was that for? If you keep doing that, you're going to get sick," Regina said with a frown, a grumpy pout forming into her face.

"I don't care about that," Robin replied. "And I'm not just saying this stuff because you're going to be the mother of a child of mine someday, Regina."

Something inside her lurched painfully and Regina's heart began to pound frantically in her chest. She suddenly felt the urge to run, but she didn't have any energy in her to get up from her spot.

Luckily, Robin didn't say the words she thought he might. Instead, he settled with, "I care deeply about you. You are my best friend. And I see no woman who could compare to you and your beauty. I see no other woman I would want to have a family with."

His words discomforted her slightly, but he hadn't said the one word she dreaded to hear leave his mouth. She could handle his infatuation, but love was an entirely different story. Regina let go of a breath of relief she wasn't aware she had been holding in.

"Nevertheless, Robin, I don't want to get in the way of your happiness," she said, turning her body to snuggle into him. As true as her words rang and as much as she denied her feelings for fear that one of them would get hurt, Regina would have loved nothing more than to know Robin loved her like that.

Stop it, she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Believe me, you aren't getting in the way of anything, Regina," Robin said, an arm snaking beneath her body so that he could wrap it around her as she settled her head on his chest. "Are you going to sleep?"

"Mhm," Regina mumbled.

Robin nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Robin," she whispered.

"Wake me if you need anything during the night," he said, earning himself a sleepy nod from Regina before she let sleep claim her.

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, she felt worse than she had yesterday. Fever burned through her body, her head swarmed, groggy and throbbing achingly. Regina's entire body hurt and felt as heavy as led, but the thing bothering her most was the tumultuous pain that twisted in her stomach, making her feel clammy and pale.

Regina sat up, detaching Robin's arms from around her. She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her head in her hands. Her fingers were ice cold and her skin was damp with sweat, from fever or nausea, she wasn't sure. Her stomach gurgled and continued to churn painfully and oh...oh, goodness! She was gonna–

Regina bolted upright and scurried into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it as quietly as one could when feeling the urge to vomit. She stumbled over to the toilet and collapsed on her hands and knees, heaving violently. The little she had eaten during the past day was emptied into the toilet and when Regina had gotten the last of it up, she flushed down the contents and fell back against the counter, taking deep, ragged breaths as she tried to regain herself.

She could only imagine the countless times she would be bent over in this position once she was... Oh?

Was there any possibility that she had finally conceived and was now showing symptoms? But she had taken a test not even a week ago and nothing had shown up. She was late once again on her period, but that, too, could have just been from the stress she was feeling over several tries and no results. Perhaps now her body was releasing the correct hormones now, or maybe–maybe this was just because she was sick. Roland had thrown up a few times, too.

Discouraged suddenly by this new thought, Regina slowly pulled herself to her feet and turned towards the sink. She rinsed out her mouth and wetted her face down to cool off before returning to bed, slipping beneath the covers beside Robin.

She supposed she could take a test again, but Regina reminded herself not to get her hopes up. If anything, she would just get another negative result and a damaged spirit, just as she always did when taking pregnancy tests.

* * *

 **So, what do you guys think? Is she pregnant, or just sick?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I was so excited to publish this chapter and I really hope you all enjoy it! And I know Christmas has since passed but this chapter involves a little Christmas merriment. Enjoy!**

* * *

Regina had been distant the past few days. Robin didn't know if this was because she was sick or if it was something else that had her mind elsewhere. He wondered if it was the conversation they'd had the night he had returned home to her and Roland. She was quieter than normal and had opted to stay in bed for the past couple of days she had been recuperating.

He was stopping in for a visit after spending the morning Christmas shopping, since the holiday was only a week away now. Regina was almost better by now and he had yet to show her just how much he had missed her while he was away on his trip. It felt like centuries since he had been gone, but in all reality, it had just been those few days.

He knocked on the door and unlocked it, greeted by silence. He shut and relocked the door behind him, knowing where he would find Regina. Sure enough, as he cracked open the door to her bedroom, she was curled up beneath the covers.

Robin smiled and quietly closed the door behind him before making his way over to the bedside. He leaned down and brushed her dark hair away from her face, leaning in to press a soft kiss above her ear. "Regina," he murmured, and he placed another kiss against her temple.

Slowly, two brown eyes fluttered open and Robin found himself staring down into the face of an angel.

"What are you still doing in bed?" Robin asked, causing Regina to groan in response and roll onto her back, burying her face in her pillow.

"Gina," Robin said, using the affectionate nickname in such a way that made her snort in distaste, as he kicked his shoes off and climbed in on the opposite side. "What's the matter?"

"It hurts," she whined, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"What hurts?" Robin asked, laying a gentle hand against her back.

"My back," she complained, turning her head to look up at him with the most miserable, pouty expression Robin had ever seen, one he both pitied and found absolutely adorable. "And my breasts."

Robin couldn't help but perk up at her words. Achy back and breasts. Wasn't that a sign of pregnancy? Regina seemed to catch the look in his eyes, for she simply gave him a disappointed expression and shook her head.

"I think I know what you need," Robin said. He stood up and offered a hand to Regina, who gingerly took his and stood with his help, wobbling uncertainly on her feet, still slightly weakened from her sickness.

Robin guided her into the bathroom and the both of them undressed before climbing beneath the steady stream of hot water. Robin had Regina stand beneath the flow for a few moments. He watched as the water trickled down her body, droplets sliding down her delicious curves. He was certain she would feel better once he was done with her.

She had her back turned to him and so he stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, which he slowly began to massage. "Besides feeling achy, do you feel any better?" he asked, kneading his thumbs into her shoulder blades, feeling taut muscles slowly beginning to become undone.

"I do," Regina replied. "No fever since yesterday morning," she reported.

Robin smiled and leaned in, brushing a kiss against the side of her neck. "That's good," he said, his hands working on her shoulders. "Tell me when you feel looser. I'm not done yet, I just figured the hot water would help."

She waited a few moments before confirming she felt a little better. Robin helped her out of the shower and dried her off before instructing her to go lie down on her belly, and not to put any clothes on. Regina went to do as she was instructed and Robin slipped on a pair of boxers before shifting through her cabinets. He found a bottle of massaging oil and brought it in to find Regina lying in bed, gloriously naked.

He climbed in and leaned over her, pouring just a bit of the oil onto the center of her back. He got some on his hands, too, and then began to slowly trail his hands up and down her back. He knead his thumbs into her shoulder blades and her neck and used the heel of his hand down the curve of her spine and along her lower back. He was mesmerized by the way his hands glided along her smooth olive skin, which was devoid of any imperfections, besides a little mark right below her left shoulder blade and another on the right side of her lower back, just above that perfect, round ass of hers. He liked knowing these things, uncovering her freckles and beauty marks and scars. He enjoyed memorizing everything about her body.

Robin leaned in, trailing his lips along the curve of her spine, his hands running along her sides. "Did you know you have a blemish right here," he said, kissing over the mark below her shoulder blade, before moving down to the one above her rump and kissing it as well, "and here?"

Regina hummed softly at his question, her sides expanding with a deep, contented sigh. Robin traced the curve of her back once again with his lips, trailing them upwards this time before he kissed the nape of her neck.

"I love learning everything about you," he purred, nuzzling his nose against that spot right behind her ear that made her squirm. "Where every little spot is on your body... where you possess scars."

"Only you would notice my imperfections," Regina murmured, her voice soft, relaxed.

"Your imperfections make you all the more perfect to me," he replied and gently turned her over so that she faced him. He started first with that little beauty mark on the corner of her mouth, pressing his lips there and then to the scar on her upper lip. "You are so perfect, so utterly beautiful. Every single part of you," he whispered once he had reached that dark blotch right above her collarbone, his breath ghosting over it.

Regina chuckled sadly. "I'm far from perfect," she said. "Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of women more beautiful than me in this town alone."

"Nonsense," Robin said, pulling back to smile down at the woman bared beneath him. His eyes traveled her body – up her long, slender legs, to her curvy hips and flat stomach (not for long, he hoped) to the soft swells of her rounded breasts (not big, but not small either, just perfect for him), and finally, they landed on that beautiful, angelic face, those enticing lips, those doe eyes so wide in wonder. "I see nothing but perfection. And I see the most beautiful being in all of creation." _And I see the only woman I love_. Oh how he wanted to tell her, but he didn't have the courage to possibly ruin all they had together.

Robin dropped a kiss to Regina's lips before grabbing the oils and slathering his hands down again. He gently rubbed them along her hips, up her belly, and skirted around her breasts, earning a soft whimper of disappointment from Regina. He slathered her chest before slowly dropping a hand down the valley of her breasts, causing her back to arch in anticipation. He groped both of her breasts in his hands, reminding himself to be careful because she had said they were sore and he was reminded of that day when he had accidentally hurt her in the shower. Her breasts were a little more tender than he had imagined, he supposed.

He kept his touches light, kneading the soft swells of her flesh in his hands. Regina hummed through pursed lips and arched her back, pressing her breasts further into the palms of his hands, where they fit perfectly. Robin flicked her dusky pink nipples with his thumbs, until they had hardened to a stiff peak. He leaned in, his lips encasing one of her nipples as he sucked it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Regina lifted off of the bed with a moan that made his cock twitch and Robin continued at her urging, sucking at her nipple and flicking it with his tongue. Occasionally, he would scrape his teeth over it, but he was sure to be extra careful when he did so.

As he used his mouth to tease her nipple, he pinched the other between his thumb and forefinger, fondling with it to give it the same attention. After a few moments, he switched, now giving her other nipple the same attention with his tongue.

Robin moved his lips to the valley between her breasts. He trailed his way through it with his tongue and didn't stop until he reached her collarbones, which he graced with kisses. "Did I ever tell you how much I missed you while I was away?"

"You might have mentioned it," Regina cooed and when Robin looked up at her, she was smiling wide.

"Have I shown you?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Regina's laughter followed, the sound resonating throughout the room, as beautiful as a song. "I think you were about to," she said.

"Mhm," Robin hummed, leaning in to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. The fire sparked then, starting at their lips and ignited, trailing down along their bodies. Robin devoured Regina's lips, reclaiming what he had been denied from the minute he had gotten back from his trip. He kissed her hard and heatedly, his teeth lightly scraping over her bottom lip as he pulled it into his mouth and sucked on it. Regina moaned against his lips, the sound vibrating through him. He felt himself beginning to harden at the thoughts of all the ways he could elicit more of those moans because he knew that was a sign that he was doing his job well.

Robin raised a hand and threaded his fingers through Regina's hair, placing his other hand above her shoulder as he positioned himself between her legs. He brushed the bulge in his boxers against her sex and Regina reacted immediately, rocking her hips against him, her legs locking around her waist.

Their lips parted with a smack and Robin moved to her neck. He began kissing and nipping at her skin, making sure to hit those certain spots with an extra good suck which had her hips jutting up into his. She was begging for him now, her hips rocking against his erection. His boxers were the only thing that separated them, but Robin wasn't keen on being inside her immediately. He always strived for her pleasure first.

Detangling his hand from her hair, Robin trailed it down her body until his fingers found her clit. He flicked the sensitive bud with his thumb, causing Regina's back to arch, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Robin continued to kiss and suck at her neck while rubbing her clit and Regina rocked her hips into his, trying to relieve herself of the throbbing sensation se must've been feeling.

"Robin," she panted after a moment, causing him to lift his head from the crook of her neck, now decorated in hickeys where couldn't help but lavish her skin with the proof that she was his. "Please..."

It was all she had to say. Robin bent down, his lips traveling down her body until he was hovering over her sex. He exhaled a slow, warm breath over her clit, causing Regina to shutter. He lifted his eyes, watching the way her stomach tightened and her fingers gripped the sheets in anticipation for what would come next.

But not yet. Robin ghosted his lips over her pubic bone and then to the places where her hip bones pressed against her skin. He nibbled at the flesh there, earning a desperate whimper from Regina. His fingers fondled with her clit as he kissed along her lower belly, but he didn't give her what she wanted, just a few light brushes of his fingers.

"Robin!" Regina exclaimed, her voice whiny and needy. Robin couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry, love," he said, smiling up at her, greeted by a pouting expression. "I just love teasing you. But I promise to make up for it."

And boy, did he ever keep his promise. Robin lowered his head down to her sex and flicked her clit with his tongue. Regina's hips bucked and she cried out when he latched his mouth around it, sucking on her bundle of nerves. Her thighs tensed and Robin threw them over his shoulders, giving him more access to Regina's dripping sex. As he lapped at her clit, he slid two fingers inside of her and began pumping, demonstrating what he was going to do to her.

Regina was not quiet anymore. Robin sucked on her clit and pounded his fingers inside of her, hooking them until he was hitting that special spot inside of her. Her hips were bucking against his face and fingers, her cries filling what would have normally been just the slapping sound of him finger fucking her.

Her orgasm came quickly. She tightened around Robin's fingers and she came on his tongue and hand. He swirled his tongue over her clit and pressed his fingers as far as he could get them to go as she rode out her orgasm. Once she had stilled and gone silent, except for her labored breaths, Robin removed his hand from her and took his face away from her clit.

"Are you ready?" He asked as he slid his boxers off, his erection springing free and throbbing with want.

Regina nodded and so Robin spread her legs, positioning himself between them. Regina's legs hugged his hips, the heels of her feet digging into his ass and her arms wrapped around him, hand splayed across his broad back. Robin leaned in, placing one hand above her shoulder to hold his weight off of her, and he captured her swollen lips with his, his other hand guiding himself into her.

Buried deep inside of her, Robin began moving, pulling out almost all the way, just leaving the tip inside of her before plunging back in all the way. As he thrusted in and out of her, his thumb worked her clit, circling the small bud, rubbing against it, too, which would always cause her back to arch, and a soft whimper escape her lips.

This continued for some time until Robin knew he was coming close to his peak. Regina's whimpers had turned into sharp moans, and Robin could always tell when she was close. Her nose would scrunch and her legs would wrap tighter around him, pressing him deep inside of her and if she had her hands wrapped around him, as she did now, her nails would always dig into his back. She was doing all of this now and so Robin prepared them to ride out their orgasms. He braced himself on both hands now and shifted their position just enough so that he could bury himself even deeper inside of her.

It wasn't long before Regina's walls were spasming around his member, just the right push he needed to fall off the edge as well. She milked him for every last drop he had in him. As they came off their high, Robin pressed his forehead against Regina's, their satisfied smiles echoing each other.

"I missed that," Robin cooed, slowly pulling out of her, his seed oozing down her legs.

"Me too," Regina responded as Robin settled down in the bed and pulled her into his arms.

His hands slowly explored her body yet again as he familiarized himself with every curve, every little part about her that he loved. He pulled the covers up over their bodies and when he looked back up at Regina, her eyes were closed and she wore a pleased smile on her lips.

"As much as I love taking care of you when you are sick, I was waiting for you to get better so I could do that," Robin said, trailing his hand along her side.

"And I was waiting to get better so you'd do that," Regina said and chuckled. "That and so I could get my Christmas shopping finished."

"Who all do you have to shop for still?" Robin asked curiously.

"I still have a few things to get Henry. I need to get Neal, Liam, and Leia a few items. Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Killian, you and Roland are all taken care of, though," Regina said.

"Me, hm?" Robin asked with a chuckle. "I don't remember asking for anything."

"I know for certain you'll like your gift," Regina assured. "I've had the idea for a while now."

* * *

By the time that Christmas Day rolled around, Robin had nearly forgotten about the gift Regina had promised him. He, too, was busy shopping. He had Regina come with him a few times that week and help him pick out things for his friends since the Charmings had invited him and Roland to the annual family Christmas party they held at their apartment every year. He felt bad about showing up with gifts just for Regina, Roland, and Henry, so with Regina's assistance, he had found gifts for the others, too.

He and Regina showed up with Roland and Henry that morning. (Henry had stayed with Regina so that Emma and Killian could get last minute preparations finished and a Robin and Roland had spent the night so Roland could have a visit from Santa and so he could have Regina's Christmas pancakes for breakfast). They were welcomed in with lots of laughter and cheer and were instructed to put their gifts beneath the tree. Regina took the large bag of gifts over and distributed beneath the tree by the couch before she was called over by Mary Margaret to help make their Christmas lunch since Emma wasn't the best cook.

Henry took Roland up into the loft where they kept Neal and the twins occupied. As Regina and Mary Margaret prepared the meal, Robin heard the princess ask Regina about her and Robin, saying David had said they'd been trying for a baby.

David, who had settled in the chair next to Robin, earned a dutiful glare from the former thief. Apparently, neither Charming could be trusted with a secret. "I thought I told you not to tell," Robin groused.

"Sorry," David said with a cringe.

It was then that Emma and Killian made their way over to the couches and sat down, both of them catching the look Robin was still giving David.

"What's up, mates?" Killian asked, raising a brow at the two of them.

Robin huffed and turned towards Killian. "David told Mary Margaret and now Regina is going to kill me."

"Told her what?" Emma asked, tipping her head curiously. When everyone present refused to give up the secret, she frowned. "Come on, guys. If Mary Margaret knows and you two know, then I'm the only one who doesn't."

Robin sighed. "Fine," he said, figuring there wasn't any harm in it any more and lowered his voice. "Regina and I have been trying for a baby."

Emma stated at Robin, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "What?" she asked in shock. "I didn't even know you two were together."

"We aren't," Robin replied with a shrug of her shoulders even though he would very much like to be, and the looks from Killian and David suggested they knew just how much he wanted to call Regina his. "It was actually your idea, you know. The last time Regina babysat the twins and I helped... You told her she should have a baby and it's been on her mind ever since."

"She never told me she took it literally," she said with an expression of betrayal. "Bitch," Emma spat playfully.

"I think she wanted to keep it a secret until she conceived. We expected difficulties," Robin said, deciding not to elaborate any further on that subject.

"So, any good news yet?" David asked hopefully.

Inquiring faces fell when Robin shook his head. "Not yet. Every test she has taken has been negative so far," he said. "But there's still hope."

"Well, I wish you both the best of luck. I think a baby would lighten Regina's world," Emma said and Robin smiled, thanking her.

It wasn't long before the family was gathered around, eating lunch together. Robin was glad to find Regina didn't seem mad about him accidentally spilling the beans about trying for a baby. Maybe that thought hadn't even hit her or she was too in the Christmas spirit to care.

After lunch, the family gathered around the tree to open gifts. They let the kids go first. The twins and Neal got several new toys. Roland got a new bicycle, which came from Regina (something he had asked her for, apparently) and his very own, very real bow with some arrows from Robin (not a toy, Robin reminded his son). Henry got the new X-Box One from Regina and the iPhone 6s Plus from Emma. He also got a wide variety of games for his new gaming system from everyone else.

The adults went next, each opening one gift at a time. Robin got a lot of camping ad hunting items that he couldn't wait to show his men.

As the others went, he didn't pay much attention to what they got, but he was pleased to find Regina had gotten a very nice forest green dress from Mary Margaret (he never thought much about how Regina would look in his favorite color until he saw her holding it up against her) that he was dying to see her try on. She got a few other clothing items, some decor for her office, candles, and from Robin, a new laptop. She had been complaining for quite a while that hers was old and slow and she wanted a new one and she was so grateful for her gift that she threw her arms around Robin and cried, something that indeed surprised him.

Once she had settled down, she pulled away and everyone was about to disperse when Regina stopped them. "Wait, I haven't given Robin my gift yet," she said and wiped her eyes.

Regina got up and walked over to the tree and grabbed a small, wrapped box. She brought it back to Robin and handed the box to him, smiling softly when he gave her a curious look, wondering what could be inside.

Slowly, Robin pulled the red ribbon off of the box and tore the paper. He lifted the lid off the box and peered inside and what he saw made tears fill his eyes and his heart leap for joy as he picked up the object from the box, his free had cupping his mouth in shock. He turned to Regina who bore a watery smile of her own as the Charmings and Jones families gawked in awe of his present.

His Christmas gift from Regina have been a simple white plastic stick, but the double lines meant so much more. He couldn't have asked for a more precious gift than that.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here is the next installment of Something New! Thank you for all the feedback I'm getting on this story, it really means a lot and it's constantly making me want to update and bring these chapters to you guys as quickly as possible. Let me know what you think of this chapter!**

* * *

She had taken the test a few days after she noticed a repetitiveness in a nauseating feeling that felt as if it didn't fit in with the fever she had gotten from Roland. And, to her pleasant surprise, the test had been positive. She had wanted to tell Robin immediately, but with Christmas coming up, she thought it would be a pleasant way to reveal the news to him and the family if she had him open the positive test as a gift.

Regina had felt bad about scheduling her first appointment without Robin knowing or being able to attend, but she wanted to make sure the baby was developing properly and that both she and the child were healthy. Dr. Venus had been thrilled Regina had finally gotten pregnant. She made sure everything was normal, and it was, and prescribed Regina some prenatal vitamins afterwards, of which she had kept well hidden so that Robin wouldn't find them.

She watched with growing anxiety as Robin opened the gift she had just handed him, resting a gentle hand on her belly, above the life that grew inside of her. Regina didn't know why she felt so nervous about finally sharing the news with him that she was pregnant, but she was. However, her anxieties were put to ease when tears filled his eyes and he clamped a hand over his mouth. He turned to her and she offered him a smile, feeling tears of her own prick her eyes as he gripped the pregnancy test in his hand.

The rest of the family had gone silent, save some surprised gasps.

"Regina..." Robin murmured, his hand falling away from his mouth. "We're going to have a baby?"

When she nodded, Robin got up out of his chair and threw his arms around Regina, hugging her so tight she felt as if she couldn't breathe. But she didn't care. She simply clung on to Robin and wept with tears of joy into his shoulder as he buried his head against the side of her neck.

After several moments, the two of them pulled away and were immediately applauded by everyone in the room. Even Roland joined in, despite Regina knowing the young boy was probably too young to fully know what was going on without it being elaborated on.

"There's more in the box," Regina said softly as everyone got up and hugged the expectant couple and patted Robin on the back for his good work. Once everyone had settled down again, Robin uncovered a photo in the box.

"What is it?" He asked and Regina laughed when she realized he didn't know what an ultrasound picture was.

She sat down beside him and took the picture from his hands. "That's inside of me," she explained. "It's called an ultrasound, or sonogram. It shows us the baby. Which is that teeny tiny black splotch right there," she said and pointed to the tiny dot shown on the picture. It didn't even look like a baby yet, but it was their child.

Robin grinned, smiling down at the image before holding it up for everyone else to see. "That's my baby!" he announced happily, his eyes still misty with tears. Everyone laughed and happily congratulated once again.

"Daddy, I'm your baby," Roland said, sounding quite confused. "I don't look like that."

Regina chuckled slightly and knew they'd have to explain to Roland what was going on. She beckoned the young boy over and took his hand, placing it on her belly. "Roland," she said softly. "There's going to be another baby. It's in here," she said, covering his hand with hers.

"There's a baby in you?" he asked, looking up at Regina with wide eyes.

"Yes, there is. Just like Mary Margaret and Emma had babies in them. Do you remember?" she asked the boy, who nodded at her question. "Now there's a baby in me and want to know something amazing?"

"What?" Roland asked, an expression of wonder on his face.

"The baby is your daddy's baby, too," Regina explained. "So that means that you're going to have a baby brother or sister."

"Hear that, Roland? We're going to be big brothers!" Henry exclaimed from across the room as he got up and made his way over his mother, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I'm happy for you, Mom," he said. "And I'm excited to have another sibling!"

Regina smiled, wrapping an arm around her son and the other around Roland, tugging them closer. "Thank you," she said and kissed Henry's cheek before he pulled away and went to sit down again.

Roland was gazing at Regina again, his big brown eyes flickering between her and his father. "Gina?" he asked, his head tipping to the side, "If the baby is my brother or sister does that make you my mommy?" he questioned timidly.

Regina felt tears pricking her eyes again and she looked up at Robin who bore a soft smile. The couple's eyes met, and an understanding silently passed between them.

"If it is alright with Regina," Robin said to his son, who turned to look up at Regina with his wide-eyed expression.

She smiled warmly at the young boy and cupped his chubby cheeks in her hands. "If you want to call me Mommy, you're more than welcome, my little knight," she said, leaning in to kiss Roland's forehead.

The smile that broke out on the boy's face was absolutely adorable as he wrapped his arms around Regina and hugged her tightly. Regina scooped Roland up into her arms and held him against her and for the whole rest of the time the Charmings, Jones', Mills', and Locksleys sat around talking excitedly, little Roland didn't move from his spot in Regina's lap.

After a while, festivities began to die down. The babies were getting cranky, as was Roland, and the adults came to the conclusion that it was time to depart from each other's company. Killian and Emma took Liam and Leia home, Henry following but promising Regina he'd come visit her in the next few days. David went upstairs to put Neal down for a nap, and Regina sent Robin off with Roland back to her place, telling him she would be along shortly after she helped Mary Margaret clean up the apartment.

The two women washed the dishes in silence until Mary Margaret spoke up.

"Regina, I'm so happy for you and Robin," she said with a wide grin, which the older woman reciprocated.

"Thank you," Regina replied.

"And he was so cute about it when he found out," Mary Margaret went on, laughing softly like she was a teenage girl again. "You can tell he's so happy for this baby."

"I'm never going to hear the end of it," Regina chuckled, laying one hand over her tummy, thinking of the child, finally, her own child that grew there.

Mary Margaret was silent for a moment before speaking once again. "So, are you and Robin... you know...?"

Regina shook her head. "Anything we did was just to conceive a child, which we've done now, but..." she trailed off, her smile replaced by a frown.

"But you still want to be with him?" Mary Margaret guessed, her smile soft and understanding. "You know, it's okay to give in to love. True love is one of the best things, if not the best thing, you could ever have."

"I-It's not that," Regina said, shaking her head at Mary Margaret's assumption. But it was that. Regina just didn't want to admit it to her friend or herself. "I'll just... miss having someone treat me the way Robin does."

"He doesn't have to stop if you don't want him to and if he doesn't want to," Mary Margaret said softly. "Besides, you'll want someone there for you now more than ever with a baby on the way. Pregnancy is hard. It was such a help having David there to bring me meals in bed when I felt too tired or too achy to get up, to hold me when I was feeling down, or give me massages when I was hurting, with both Emma and Neal."

Regina sighed a little. "It's just that I don't want Robin or me to get too overly attached to the other. We already overstepped the boundaries we had set within the first week of trying and–"

"Regina," Mary Margaret interrupted, laughing a little as she took the older woman's hands. "Listen to yourself. Sounds to me as if you're already overly attached. And besides, you're going to have a baby with Robin! Wouldn't it be in the child's best interest for its parents to be together? You shouldn't close yourself off to love just because you are scared of what happened last time. Robin is a great man, a strong man, and an honorable man. I can see it in his eyes – he cares about you a lot. He would make an amazing man to share a future with and he's going to be a great father to that baby."

"It'll never last. Villains don't get happy endings. Sooner or later, someone or something will come along and take him away from me," Regina said as she pulled her hands away from Mary Margaret.

"Regina, you aren't a villain," Mary Margaret said. "You proved that to all of us when you defeated the Wicked Witch and made this town safe again. Which means nothing is going to take Robin away from you."

"You don't know that. A new villain could be waiting to unleash their havoc in Storybrooke or do something that would harm him..." she said. "Or he would find someone else so much better than me."

"Stop that," Mary Margaret said. "None of that is going to happen. And I know Robin would never leave the woman who is going to give birth to his child, and who is other child now acknowledges as his mother, too. He cares about you, really, he does. I don't think he would ever look for someone else. You two... you're just so compatible. It's like you were designed for each other."

"But–"

"Just talk to him about it," Mary Margaret said. "It'll do you both good." When Regina sighed in compliance before Mary Margaret spoke again. "Go on, I'll finish up here. I'm sure Robin wants to spend time with you and the baby."

"Are you sure?" Regina inquired, tipping her head to the side.

"I'm sure, go," Mary Margaret chuckled.

After she was dismissed, Regina grabbed her coat, slipped into it and headed home. Robin had already packed up gifts and taken them home, so Regina made her way back empty-handed. She unlocked the door to her house once she had arrived and made her way inside. She had just enough time to hang her coat up, before she felt two arms wrap around her, sling her over someone's shoulder, and begin carrying her up the stairs.

"Robin! Put me down!" Regina giggled, playfully punching his back.

He simply laughed and tightened his arms around Regina, only giving into her wishes when his knees bumped the bed and he bent over, laying her down on the bed, quickly following suit. His arms were around her again, tugging her body against his as he settled them both down on the bed. Regina heaved a soft sigh, snuggling into the warmth that his arms offered.

"We are having a baby," he whispered, tugging the blankets up over them. Regina buried her head against Robin's chest, enjoying the comforts he brought her, and the relaxing smell of forest that filled her nose.

"We are," she murmured quietly, peeking up at Robin to find his blue eyes watery with tears and a soft smile on his face. "So, did a do a good job with your Christmas gift? It's going to come a little late, but..."

"I absolutely love it," Robin replied. "I can't put into words how happy and excited I am for this baby, Regina. I can see it now... our beautiful child, looking just like its gorgeous mother."

"Or handsome father," Regina spoke up, without giving it second thought. Now that she did hear it come out of her own mouth, she realized that Robin was always the one complimenting her on her looks when he himself deserved a bit of attention as well. He was very attractive and Regina wasn't the only one in town who had noticed. She saw the looks he got out in public.

"I'd much rather see a little Regina. Imagine all that sass," he said, laughing when Regina gave him a look. "Our child is definitely going to inherit the Mills spitfire."

"There's no doubt. It's a dominant trait. Mother, me, and even my sister," Regina said with a small smile, which quickly faded. "And I just hope that temper won't lead the child down a dark path as it has to my side of the family."

"The baby will have a wonderful mother to keep it on track. And I will be there, too. And it'll have Henry and Roland and the rest of the extended family. No darkness will come close to it. It'll be in good hands," Robin assured, moving one hand down to splay protectively over Regina's tummy.

The two of them laid together in silence. Robin's fingers disappeared beneath Regina's shirt as he tenderly drew circles in her belly. Regina was beginning to doze off, something she had been doing recently (after all, her body was working hard to grow life, and she was always feeling tired), but then she felt the bed shift and the hand beneath her shirt pulling the fabric upwards, where it bunched up beneath her breasts.

Robin bent down and hovered over Regina, who watched in curiosity. He leaned down and gingerly placed a kiss beneath Regina's belly button.

"Hey, baby," Robin said softly, placing his hands on either side of Regina's hips. For a moment she thought he was talking to her and even hummed in response until she realized he was speaking to their child. "It's your daddy talking. I know you can't hear me yet. Your little ears probably haven't even developed, but I'm always going to talk to you as often as I can." Robin kissed her belly again, and grinned up at Regina who wore a soft smile. "And your mommy and I love you very, very much. We worked very hard in this very spot for you to come to be."

"Robin!" Regina laughed, landing a playful swat on the top of his head. "Don't tell our baby that!"

Robin chuckled and moved back up so that he was at Regina's side again. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his side. They shifted into a comfortable position, their legs tangled, arms curled around each other. Robin's lips touched every part of her face, kissing her hairline, her forehead, her brows, the bridge and tip of her nose, her eyelids, each cheek, and finally, her lips, which he drank of deeply for a moment, drawing a soft hum from Regina.

"How far along are you?" He asked after pulling away, their lips releasing with quiet ' _pop_ '.

"Five weeks," Regina replied, her wide smile mimicking Robin's cheerful grin. "I felt symptoms at four when I was sick with Roland's fever and took the test then. I've also already had an appointment, but I didn't want to wait too long and something go wrong with the baby. But I promise you can come to the rest of them."

"So you just started month two," Robin said softly. "That means a few weeks into trying, you and I made our little miracle."

"That we did," Regina replied. "I can't ever thank you enough, Robin, for what you've given to me. I've always wanted a child of my own and I thought that opportunity was long gone when my fiancé died and then when I cursed myself. You've given me hope that maybe... My life isn't as bad as I thought."

"No thanking me," Robin laughed, capturing Regina's lips. He kissed her again for another moment, taking the time to run his fingers through her hair and devour her lips with passion. He pulled away after a moment, leaving Regina panting. "There's no other woman in all the realms who I'd rather have carrying my child but you. You're going to be such a wonderful mother. You already are."

Regina smiled slightly, blushing at his words. After that, they fell into silence, a comfortable one, where they held and caressed each other. Regina wondered if this would become the general understanding between the two of them – Robin moving in with her, caring for her as the load she carried grew cumbersome, and giving her all of the kisses and touches and affection. Would he do that or would things go back to normal, in the way she knew their feelings would be safe?

Regina wasn't sure which she wanted. She wanted his love. No, she _yearned_ for his love, but she was also scared. She was scared of the feelings that brewed within her like an oncoming storm, she was scared of the affectionate way Robin was towards her and the inability to know how he felt towards her. She was often worried he thought he had to bestow love on her and that he didn't really mean it. But she was also terrified of that look in his eyes, the way his stormy blue eyes went calm and bright, like the ocean whenever he looked at her. It petrified her in fear because she knew, _she knew_ , she was the only one he looked at that way. And his words, oh, he had such a way with words, which she found lately had become too intimate and she often feared that _I love you_ would slip out of his mouth. Or hers. But she couldn't give in to his love if that's what he wanted to give her – he would just be taken from her or he would find someone else much better, always better, than she was. She didn't want her heart broken again.

But her sweet Robin seemed to sense her unrest, for his arms amorously wrapped around her, hugging her tighter against his chest. She could now hear the steady thumping of his heart, and when hers sped up, she realized they were beating in the same rhythm, in sync with one another.

"You should rest," Robin whispered, his lips ghosting along the shell of her ear. "It's been a busy day and I can sense you're tired." She was. His soothing voice and lilting accent was already drawing her eyes closed and their matching heartbeats were lulling her to sleep.

She gave in, letting her eyes shut. Robin's hand coasted along her back. She felt his warm breath against her neck, and his lips brushed against her skin. His heartbeat continued to thump in her ears, causing her mind to begin slipping into unconsciousness.

The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was Robin saying he would sing lullabies to their child every night before bed and he began chanting one, his melodic voice soft against Regina's ear, singing a lullaby that her father had soothed her with as a youngling, of course, having to change the lyrics a little since she was a girl.

 _Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly,_

 _Lavender's green,_

 _When you are queen, dilly, dilly,_

 _I'll be your king._

 _Who told you so, dilly, dilly,_

 _Who told you so?_

 _'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly,_

 _That told me so._

Regina's lips curved up into a soft smile, her final thoughts being how great of a father Robin would be and how much she loved him for that. She couldn't have found a better man to have a child with. And although her fears still haunted her, Regina pushed them aside for now, and for a brief moment, unguarded her heart, and let herself love Robin.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the longer than normal wait on an update. I've been busy and also working on my new fanfic. Here's the next installment of** _ **Something New**_ **for you all! Let me know what your thoughts are!**

* * *

Regina was sitting on the couch that evening when Robin came home, the TV on and turned on low volume, and her laptop resting in her lap as she reclined back on the couch and surfed the Internet, researching everything babies and pregnancies. Another week had passed and in that time, she let him and Roland move in. (She knew it was a bad idea for her sake, but she wanted Robin there for the baby and it was creeping up on January when the brutal cold would set in.)

He hung his coat up and slipped his shoes off before making his way over to Regina, dodging past Copper who danced around his feet excitedly. He kissed the top of her head. "Good evening, milady," he said and smiled as he lifted her legs and sat down on the couch, putting them back in his lap once he had gotten settled.

"Hello," Regina replied with a smile as she looked up from her work, her reading glasses slipping further down her nose.

Copper joined the couple on the couch, curling up by Robin's side. He laid his big head on Regina's feet, sandwiching them between the dog and Robin.

"So, what are the plans for New Year's Eve?" Robin asked curiously as he used one hand to stroke Copper's ears and the other to pat Regina's leg.

"I've got Henry. He and Roland are upstairs playing Xbox. They requested pizza. So we can do that and then watch the New Year's Eve show. I also got some party hats and things like that. I figured I'd make some brownies for dessert, too," Regina said.

"Sounds good to me," Robin replied. "What are you looking at?"

"Just doing my research," Regina replied. "I'm looking up things about pregnancy... And some baby stuff. I'm also trying to decide which guest bedroom we should change into the nursery."

"Slow down," Robin chuckled. "You're going to stress yourself out. We have seven months until our baby is here. Don't worry about the nursery too much. Have you thought of any names?"

Regina shook her head a little. "I figured we should wait until we know the gender of the baby."

"Probably a good idea," Robin replied. "Speaking of, what gender would you want to have?"

Regina pursed her lips in thought, thinking for a moment. "I don't really care, I guess," she said softly. "A baby of my own is all I wanted and now I've got it, so it doesn't matter."

Robin smiled. "I wouldn't mind much either, however, after having Roland, I always wanted a daughter if I were to have another child again. I'd like a girl."

Regina nodded. "A baby girl would be nice. We both have boys and a girl would balance it out," she said. "But if we have another boy, I'll be just as happy."

"Agreed," Robin said as he smiled down at Regina. "So, what all have you learned so far about pregnancy and babies?"

Regina set the laptop down and moved on the couch, a signal she knew Robin understood well. He laid down where she has previously been and tugged the blanket off the top of the couch. Regina laid down on top of him and rested her head against his shoulder as he pulled the blanket over them both. His hands splayed along her back and he kissed the top of her head as she got comfortable.

"I've been searching mostly nutrition about what I should and should not be eating. Things like that. I've also been reading up on how the baby will develop and what new features it'll have each week," Regina explained with a smile. "By week nine, the ears will start growing and by week sixteen, all of your nightly conversations with the baby will finally be heard."

Robin chuckled slightly. "So, I've got about ten weeks to wait for that, then?" he asked with a small pout on his lips.

Regina leaned up and kissed his pout away. "That's right. Until then, he or she won't hear you."

"I'll still talk to our child as often as I can," Robin promised, his lips pecking hers once again before Regina laid her head back on his chest.

"How was work?" Regina asked Robin after a silence had settled between them for a few moments.

"It went pretty well," Robin answered, his fingers carding through Regina's hair. "I'm glad I didn't have to take the night shift and make sure nobody was out causing any trouble or something like that. David's putting up with that tonight."

"That is good," Regina replied. "Plus, you get to be home with us for the night."

Robin smiled at the thought. "That's true. I get to spend the new year with my family," he said, making Regina's heart clench for a moment in fear. His... family? "Does this mean I may get a little loving tonight?" he murmured against her ear.

"Maybe," Regina said softly, burying her head against Robin's chest to hide her frown at his previous words, unable to get the fact out of her mind that Robin considered her family. And as much as she wanted to... there wasn't a need for them to have sex anymore. She was pregnant and their goal had been accomplished. But Robin made her feel _so_ good and it was New Year's Eve.

Regina's pondering thoughts eventually turned into sleepy ones. Robin seemed to sense she was almost ready for sleep, for he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, her head now buried into his neck. She breathed in his outdoorsy smell, allowing it to soothe her.

Robin placed a hand on the nape of her neck and threaded his fingers into her hair, drawing her head close enough that he could kiss it. Regina felt him bury his face into her hair and breathe her in, pressing yet another kiss right above her ear. "Go to sleep, sweetheart," he murmured. "I can tell you're tired."

Regina let her eyes flutter shut as she burrowed herself closer to Robin. She fell asleep to him stroking her hair, his warm breath against her ear. Being in Robin's arms made Regina feel safe and secure and cherished. Robin didn't just hold her. He was always stroking her hair or rubbing her back and kissing her head or face. And no matter how she was feeling, his gentle caresses and cradling arms always soothed her to sleep.

It was about an hour later when Robin woke Regina up by brushing her hair away from her neck and gracing light kisses along the skin he'd exposed. He tugged on her sleeve and bra strap, pulling them aside to kiss Regina's shoulder. "Hey, babe, wake up," he cooed, his gentle voice pulling her from the remnants of sleep. Regina's eyes fluttered open and she blinked up at Robin with a tired expression as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "Hey, sleepyhead," he said. "Have a good nap?"

"Mhm," Regina hummed with a soft smile on her lips. "Sorry I fell asleep."

"It's perfectly fine," Robin said. "I'd be tired, too, if I had to work day and night to make a human being."

"It is rather hard work," Regina chuckled as Robin sat them up on the couch.

"I'd imagine so. The boys came down a couple of minutes ago asking if pizza was here yet. Did you order?"

Regina gave Robin a guilty smile. "I was going to but then I fell asleep."

"No worries," Robin said. "I'll order us some." He gently scooted Regina off his lap and kissed her forehead before getting up and grabbing the phone, ordering a large pepperoni pizza from Storybrooke's only pizza place, Pauper's Pizza, and having it delivered to 108 Mifflin Street.

He returned and joined Regina on the couch once again. "It'll be here in fifteen."

"I suppose I should get to work on the brownies, then. The boys will be wanting them after they finish their meal. Fifteen minutes gives me just enough time to get them into the oven," Regina replied.

"May I help?" Robin asked as Regina got off the couch.

She turned towards him and smirked a little when she saw the expression on his face and the sudden strain in his jeans. "Only if you actually help. We have children in the house and I'm not about to have sex out in the open where one of them could easily find us," she said before heading into the kitchen.

Robin huffed playfully and followed behind her. "You'd better stop wearing yoga pants, then," he laughed.

"I was exercising earlier. Dr. Venus said it was good for the baby," Regina said in her defense as she walked over to the cupboards to pull out the ingredients she would need to make brownies.

Robin leaned against the counter, his fingers lightly trailing across Regina's ass as she set down some of the things she needed. She playfully swatted his hand away and gave him a warning look.

"You either help or I'm kicking you out of my kitchen," she threatened.

Robin put his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine," he chuckled. "Speaking of Dr. Venus, when's your next appointment?"

"She's wanting to keep a close eye on my pregnancy due to my history, so I'm going to appointments every two weeks during the first trimester since I could have a raised percentage of miscarriage then," Regina explained, her shoulders going rigid at the mention of such a possibility, and then walked over to the oven, turning it on as she checked the calendar beside her that hung on the fridge. "Next appointment is on the fourth of January."

"Am I allowed to come?" Robin asked as Regina leaned up on her tiptoes and grabbed a mixing bowl from one of the higher cupboards.

"Of course," Regina replied, returning to the counter Robin leaned against. "The father is always encouraged to come so he can know what's going on with his partner and child."

"What kinds of things do they do?" Robin asked curiously. "We didn't exactly have these appointments back when Marian was pregnant with Roland."

Regina smiled softly. "Well, I've only been to one other, but they do a few tests to make sure the baby is growing normally and is healthy. They took an ultrasound last time, they may do it again."

Robin grinned at that news. "I sure hope so. I would like to see how that works."

"You'll see," Regina replied. "Now, help me make these brownies."

The couple mixed the brownie batter together and poured it into a pan which was placed in the oven to bake. Robin managed to steal the mixing bowl to lick out the rest of the chocolate and Regina kissed away the bit that was stuck to his bottom lip, to which Robin had said afterwards that they should experiment with chocolate at some time in the bedroom and Regina had agreed, so long as not a drop of it got on her sheets.

As Regina was cleaning up the counter, the doorbell rang and so Robin went the answer the door. He called for the boys and came into the kitchen, juggling a box of pizza and trying to keep a large dog away from it.

"Copper, go lie down," Regina instructed the dog, who almost seemed to frown at her with his big, droopy face before sulking away into the living room with a heavy sigh.

The boys came dashing downstairs and into the kitchen, grabbing paper plates and cups and soda and pizza. They sat down at the table to eat, gulping down their food like a pair of ravenous wild animals.

"Boys, slow down," Regina said as she brought her own plate of food to the table, joined by Robin. "You're not a couple of wolves."

"Sorry, Mom," Henry apologized around a mouthful of pizza.

Her eyes glued on to him with such intensity, that Henry visibly cringed. "Henry Daniel Mills," she scolded. "You know better than to talk with your mouth full."

Henry gave a sheepish smile, this time with his mouth closed, and continued eating.

As they ate their dinner, the four of them discussed their plans for the evening. He boys suggested a movie and then they could watching the ball drop, which would lead them into the new year. Regina and Robin agreed to their plans, on the condition that the boys would go straight to bed afterwards.

So the four of them took their brownies and ice cream into the living room and gathered there with Copper to watch a movie. The boys decided on _Jurassic World_ , which Regina wasn't too fond of, but let them watch anyways, even though she had to put up with her three men taunting her of how she would be like Claire if she was in the movie, refusing to step out of her heels to run away from the Indominus Rex.

After the movie ended, thankfully for Regina, they switched the TV on to the channel where the New Year's Eve special was playing. A few music groups played and the show was followed up by entertaining commercials. And finally, at 11:59 p.m., the countdown began. Henry and Roland strapped on their 2016 hats and bounced in excitement.

Robin grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and placed a hand on her belly as the countdown began.

They murmured silently the numbers in the countdown. And finally: Five... four... three... two... one...

Robin's lips captured Regina's in a kiss, both of his hands cupping either side of her face. His lips moved against hers in a slow, loving manner, but his passion was quite clear. Henry and Roland cheered for 2016 and _eww_ 'ed when they turned to see their parents kissing. Robin and Regina pulled apart, chuckling and blushing in the embarrassment of being caught.

"Alright, boys, to bed," Robin said. "Your mother and I have lots more kissing to do and I doubt either of you want to see that."

Both Roland and Henry made a face and hastily got to their feet. Regina knew Roland's innocence guarded him from uncovering the true meaning behind Robin's words, but from Henry's flushed cheeks and disturbed expression, she took it that he got the meaning. He quickly led Roland off and took the younger boy upstairs so they could get ready for bed.

"That did the trick," Robin laughed.

"And possibly scarred the poor things for life," Regina added, playfully slapping Robin's arm.

The two of them stayed downstairs until no more sounds came from upstairs. Once it was quiet, Robin picked up Regina an carried her upstairs to their bedroom. The door was shut and locked and the couple spent a few minutes getting ready, allowing their sons extra time to fall asleep (they'd be quiet, but they didn't want to risk being heard anyways). Pajamas were forgotten and Robin and Regina made their way over to the bed. Robin laid down and tugged Regina on top of him.

Straddling his waist, Regina bent down and met Robin's lips in a passionate frenzy, their lips devouring one another's and their tongues dueling for dominance. Regina gained the upper hand when she rolled her hips against Robin's ever growing erection and he surrendered himself to her. She had decided that he deserved a bit of repayment for the pleasure and child he had given her, and so she wanted to make sure he knew how grateful she was.

As they made out, Regina tugged at Robin's hair, using her nails to lightly scrape against his scalp. All the while, she slowly rocked her hips against his hardening length, drawing a groan out of him that reverberated against her lips.

Regina moved her lips along his jawline, his light stubble scraping deliciously over her plump lips, that nipped and kissed along his jaw. She trailed her hands sensually down his chest to them hem of his shirt, which she slowly peeled off as Robin busied himself with getting as many articles of clothing off of her as he could. Regina allowed him to remove her top and her bra and gently palm at her breasts, which he fondled with great care ever since that day in the shower, which Regina was now sure was a result of sore breasts and pregnancy.

"They've gotten bigger," Robin murmured, sounding quite pleased as his thumbs slid lightly across her nipples. "And your nipples are darker."

"You're very observant," Regina purred, ghosting her lips over his ear and making him shiver.

"I always am," he breathed out, trailing his hands downwards and along her tummy. "Already, there's a little bump."

"Mhm," Regina hummed before placing her lips on his neck, her lips scraping ever so gently along his skin, making him huff.

Her hands began to slide along his muscular chest, her fingers dipping into the indentations of his chest and abdomen, where his muscles were firm and well sculpted. Her lips followed, sliding along his neck to his broad shoulders, before paying attention to his chest and abdomen. Regina lightly kissed his skin and trailed her tongue along his flesh. Her hands continued their way down until her fingers hooked into the hem of his pants. With his help, they worked them down his legs and Regina slid her hand into Robin's boxers and wrapped her fingers around his length, feeling his cock twitch at the contact. She leisurely pumped her hand down his length, feeling the muscles in his abdomen tighten as she kissed there. His low, sultry moan caused wetness to pool between her thighs and her clit throb for attention.

Regina strokes Robin's hard member, her hand slowly moving up and down from base to tip. She swiped away a bead of pre-cum from the tip with the pad of her thumb and used her free hand to pull his boxers down, allowing his erection to spring free.

Before anything else could be said or done, Regina scooted down and brought her lips to Robin's member. She pressed a light kiss to his tip before wrapping her plump lips around it. Her tongue swirled around him and she continued stroking his shaft with her hand. Robin moaned again, her name tumbling off his lips like a plea.

Smirking at him, her lips still wrapped around his cock, Regina began to bob her head, his hard member sliding in and out of her mouth as she did so as her other hand wrapped around him, fondling him, making sure that a single part did not go untouched. This continued for several moments, Regina using her tongue and the lightest of scrapes of her teeth to bring Robin close to orgasm.

"Regina," Robin groaned. "I want to be inside of you when I come."

Knowing he was close to orgasm, she released his cock, her lips popping as she let go of him. Robin sat up and pulled Regina into his lap. The two of them fumbled with getting her yoga pants and panties off and once they did, Regina lowered herself into Robin's member, taking him inside of her inch by inch. The two of them moaned as Robin was taken all the way inside of her, her warm walls clamped around his cock. Slowly, Regina began to move up and down on his length and Robin gripped her hips to steady her and help her find a suitable rhythm. As they rocked their bodies together, their lips found each other and they kissed hungrily.

Regina knew Robin was holding on for her to come closer to his peak before he orgasmed and he worked her clit skillfully with his fingers to bring her over the edge quickly, as they both knew he couldn't hold on for her for forever when he was as worked up as he was. But, he knew just how to make her tick and with his hand stimulating her clit and his length pounding into her wet core, it didn't take long for her to get that right feeling low in her belly.

Robin came with a satisfied groan, murmuring Regina's name against her lips. He pressed his thumb against her clit and it was just enough to push her over the edge. Regina frantically bucked her hips as she came and Robin let her ride out her orgasm, his hands cupping her rump to support her.

She was left slumping over into his arms, completely spent and sated, her chest heaving and her skin slick with her hard work. Robin's arms wrapped around her as he pulled his softening member out of her opening. His cum slowly trickled down her legs as he pulled them both down onto the bed and wrapped a blanket around them.

"You are absolutely amazing, milady," Robin mumbled, earning himself a quiet hum and a sleepy smile in response. "I'd say this was quite the great start to a new year."

"It was," Regina whispered, snuggling herself against Robin's side.

"I also see you're quite worn out," Robin observed to which Regina agreed with another nod. "Go to sleep. You'll need all the rest you can get."

Regina's eyes fell shut at Robin's words and for several moments of comfortable silence, he played with her hair and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Regina," he said.

And all was going just fine until he spoke those three words she had been dreading to hear, those three words that absolutely scared her to death, those three words he spoke so casually, as if he had told her a thousand times before:

"I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 10 is here. This fanfic will be coming to a close soon-ish (five chapters maybe?). I do promise to fully carry out Regina's pregnancy and birth. You guys will get to see chapters of her dealing with her growing child – cute fluffy moments, appointments, and soon the gender reveal. There may be some time skips, however and also a surprise (that's all I'm saying for now). But first, let's get the bit of angst from last chapter out of the way shall we? Here we go!**

 **Let me know what your thoughts are! :)**

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Regina went rigid in Robin's arms when she heard those three words come out of his mouth. Her heart sped up and the fear seemed to cripple her in her spot, preventing her from moving.

"You can't," she whispered, her voice nothing but a mere breath.

Deep inside, she wanted to accept Robin's words. She wanted his love and affection for the rest of her life. She wanted to return it because even though she denied herself the thought, she _knew_ she loved Robin back. But she just couldn't. She couldn't risk getting yet another broken heart nor could she risk something bad happening to the father of her child.

Robin hummed a note and then gasped when he realized what he had said before a slow sigh escaped his lips. He must've not even realized and that was the scariest part, for that meant he'd had those feelings for a long time now, just as Regina had. "It is true, Regina," he said. "I do love you. Very, very much."

"Don't, Robin," Regina said, biting her lips to keep from crying. Her heart leapt for joy inside of her that a man loved her, this man loved her, but her happiness was quickly overshadowed by dread and the fear of what might happen. "You promised–"

"I didn't promise anything about not falling in love with you," Robin interrupted, his arms curling tighter around her. "I told you, our relationship will always be different. We're going to have a baby together. That ties us together for a lifetime."

"Just because we're having a baby together doesn't mean you have to act like you love me and say so," Regina said as she finally got her body to move. She turned away from Robin but didn't pull out of his arms. "If you want to return to the camp with your son, that's fine." There was still that niggle of doubt that Robin was only pretending for her sake and the baby's, that one day he would realize he didn't need to be with her anymore and he would leave.

"Regina, I'm not faking anything. I do love you," Robin said, his voice so sincere that those doubts left her as quick as they'd come. "I don't just love you because you are the mother of my child. I love you because you're my best friend who I know everything about, who I've gotten to know even better through this experience and it's made me realize that all of this time, I have been so deeply in love with you, more in love than ever thought was possible."

"You can't love me, Robin. One of us is only going to get hurt," Regina murmured, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Nobody is going to get hurt, Regina. What is there that could hurt us?" Robin asked.

"What if I do something that _she_ would do?" Regina asked, knowing that Robin understood who she meant. _She_ was the Evil Queen. "Or what if you find a woman you'd much rather have a future and a family with? And you abandon me and our child? Or what if another villain comes to town and harms you or kills you?"

"You worry too much," Robin whispered, drawing Regina closer to him. "Nothing of a sort is going to happen. I know you are a changed woman. You're good now. And I think that the time for villains trying to harm everyone is over – and if not, it's something the whole town will work on together. And as for my love dying for you... That won't ever happen."

"You say that now, but what–?"

"I'll say that forever," Robin insisted. "There comes a point in everyone's life when they find the one. The one person they were meant to be with, the one they were meant to never live without. Do you believe in soulmates, Regina? Because I do. And I don't only love you with my heart and mind, but with my whole being, with my whole soul."

He turned Regina over in his arms then. She was trembling and tears slipped down her cheeks. As Robin raised his hand to wipe her tears away, she watched the lion tattoo hover above her head. It didn't taken a prophecy of pixie dust for Robin to realize who his soulmate was, and Regina had never told him.

"I love you, my beautiful, precious Regina," he said, each word being followed by a kiss to her temples, her forehead, down the bridge of her nose to the tip, her cheeks, and finally, on her name, his lips met hers in the softest, sweetest kiss. His lips were so tender against hers that it nearly took her breath away.

Robin threaded his fingers into Regina's hair and caressed her back and face as he kissed her lips, affectionately nibbling on her bottom lip. Regina returned his kiss half heartedly until she was breathless and her mind was whirling. When Robin pulled away, he simply nuzzled his head into Regina's neck, both his arms curling around her slender waist.

"I'm not going anywhere, Regina. I don't care if you try to push me away. Nothing is ever going to make me stop loving you. Nothing will ever make me leave. I would run to the ends of the earth, I would crawl through the deepest pits of hell if it meant I could have you in my arms, just like this," he murmured, pressing his lips right against the little dip between the place where her collarbones started. "I meant it when I said I'd do anything for you, Regina. I'd do anything for you and I'd do anything to get you and keep you right here, where you belong."

"Robin..." Regina mumbled.

"Shhh," Robin whispered, his lips slowly trailing along her throat, his teeth scraping and tongue dipping into those little spots that he knew made Regina relax and go limp in his arms. "There's no need to be scared, Regina. Love can overcome any obstacle that life could ever throw at us. And I'll fight for us everyday."

Her eyes fluttered shut as Robin continued to kiss her neck. His hands rubbed long her back in a soothing manner, his touch soft and warm against her skin. "You're making a big mistake," Regina mumbled.

"And I'd make it a thousand times over again," Robin whispered, his voice so soft and lulling against her ear, and his breath warm against the side of her face. "I'd hardly call it a mistake, though. Nothing feels more right than holding you like this, kissing you, making love to you, raising a child with you... loving you."

Regina shook her head and turned so that she was lying on her belly and facing away from Robin. "Please, Robin–"

"Nothing you can say or do is going to talk me out of loving you," he said softly, his hand ghosting along her bare back. He turned into his side and Regina felt his body pressed up to hers again. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder. "And I promise that nothing bad will happen. You're safe here. Now, go to sleep. It's been a long night."

Regina sighed and closed her eyes. She knew there was no way she could change Robin's feelings. If he loved her, he loved her. It was dangerous, but the determination in his words proved that there would be no way to sway him otherwise.

 _Let go_ , a voice inside whispered, but Regina shut it out. She didn't want to let go. If she let go, her suspicions would come true. If she stayed alert, maybe she could prevent trouble before it came to them.

Even with Robin by her side, it was hard for Regina to find sleep, but eventually she slipped into an uneasy slumber. She spent the night tossing and turning, waking up with her forehead slick with sweat, Robin always there to soothe her and kiss away her worries. It was a constant battle with her demons that night, and she let them win. She let the darkness whisper its lies into her ears, she let the demons seize her heart in fear. She let her qualms make her tremble and sob, but she let the very reason of her torment hold her in his arms and try to calm her down.

She wanted to cast her fears away, she wanted to open herself up to the love of Robin – her soulmate and the man she was destined to be with. But the flame of hope had been snuffed out. It had turned to ash along with Daniel's heart. Happiness wouldn't last her. Robin would be torn from her grasp sooner or later.

Exhaustion finally won over and Regina finally fell asleep. It felt as if she had been out for only five minutes when a gentle hand nudged her, and when her eyes fluttered open, Regina saw the sun was high in the sky and her alarm clock read eleven thirty.

"I let you sleep as late as I could," Robin said. "I know you had a rough night."

"Yeah, I did," Regina huffed as she sat up in bed.

"Look, Regina, about last night–"

"I know. I can't change your mind. You'll always love me. You'll never give up," she muttered, shaking her head.

"But I will also give you space if you need it," Robin said. "If you want some time to think, to sort out what you're feeling, I'll go."

"It's okay," Regina sighed. "I know what I'm feeling. I know what to think. It's not that."

"You're still scared," Robin said softly. "You don't have to be. I'm not leaving you."

"It's just... If another threat comes along–"

"Regina, I've faced several villains on my own in the past. Witches, dragons, monsters, corrupt kings, dark magics of all kinds. I can survive," Robin insisted. "And, besides, the town always teams up when there is a new villain. Remember? You and the Charmings teamed up against your mother. You had an entire force against Pan and again against the Wicked Witch. If there is another threat lurking, we can deal with it. Together. With our friends and family."

"It's just... The thought of baring the loss of yet another one that I love... I don't have the strength," Regina said, her eyes squeezing shut when she realized what she had just admitted – that she loved Robin, too.

Robin placed a gentle hand on Regina's back. "It's scary and it hurts to lose the one you love. I faced that years after Marian died. But I have confidence that there are second chances for a reason, if we open our eyes up to them. I've been waiting to find mine. And I have now." His other hand raised to brush a piece of hair behind her ear, and that's when her eyes landed on it, that mark she had excused so many times before. She had ignored it, she hadn't let it get to her, but now everything has changed because of the little one growing inside of her.

Regina reached out and grabbed Robin's arm, drawing it closer to her. He gave her a curious look, but seemed to be reassured when she simply ghosted her fingers along his lion tattoo.

"I never told you about that, did I?" he asked softly and Regina shook her head. "You know my family was noble before I threw that life away to become a thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Well... that was my family's coat of arms and I had it branded onto me so I never forgot where I had come from and who I did not want to be."

"I never told you about it either," Regina said, looking up to meet Robin's eyes, his face cast into a confused expression. "Do you remember when I introduced you to Tinkerbell while we were getting lunch after Neal's funeral?"

"Of course," Robin replied, a grimace overtaking his features when the thought of his lost friend crossed his mind and Regina shared that sadness, for her son, for he had lost his biological father, the only father he had ever known at that point before Killian married Emma.

"A long time ago, I was in a dark place. I had recently wed King Leopold. I felt hopeless, unloved, lonely. I was a prisoner in my own castle, a sex toy, the queen of nothing. The only hope I had were the lessons I had with Rumplestiltskin, for I thought magic could bring back the dead and I could restore Daniel's life. When I learned it was not so, every ounce of hope died within me..." Regina trailed off, her memories of that day flooding back. "I nearly ended my life that day. I stood on the edge of my balcony and pounded my fists into the railing out of anger and sadness. I wished for them to come loose and I wanted to tumble over the edge, to fall hundreds of feet to my death."

"What happened?" Robin asked curiously and he still seemed to be lost as to where his tattoo came into all of this.

"The railing did come unbolted and I began to fall. Half of me wanted to hit the ground, but another half of me knew it was a mistake. And as I was mere inches from the ground... I just stopped in mid-air and slowly began to float back to the top," Regina answered. "That's when I saw her – a little green woman with wings in a glowing aura."

"Tink?" Robin asked and Regina nodded in confirmation. "What does this have to do with my tattoo again?"

"I'm getting to it," Regina insisted. "Anyways, Tinkerbell and I became friends. She told me that there was still hope. She stole some pixie dust that had the power to show me my happy ending, my second chance at love... a _soulmate_. It led me to a tavern and inside was a man. I never saw his face, but I did see his tattoo." She gently pressed her fingers against Robin's inked skin and looked up into his eyes, watching as the realization dawned on him.

"It was me?" he asked.

Regina nodded and smiled sadly. "It was. I was just too scared to approach you. I didn't want to let go of my anger and sadness for fear that falling in love would only leave me broken again, this time worse."

"I see that fear hasn't ever left you," Robin replied. "But it isn't a fear you need to hang on to, Regina."

"I just can't lose you, too, Robin. I've lost everyone else who means something to me," she said.

"That's not true. You have Henry, Roland, the Charmings, Emma, and me. We aren't going anywhere," Robin assured and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Besides, I think we owe it to ourselves. You've said it yourself – I'm your happy ending and your soulmate. And that means that you are mine. I don't know about you, but I certainly am ready to finally get my happy ending. And unless that is living as one happy family with you, our sons, and our baby, then I am not truly happy."

Regina heaved a shaky sigh, remembering two years ago, back in Neverland, the conversation she'd had with Tinkerbell, sitting at the base of a tree. Tink's words had cut deep into her and Regina had felt guilty, because she _was_ being selfish. This wasn't just her happiness she was pushing away. It was Robin's, potentially Roland's and some of Henry's, and it was also the beginning of their baby's. This family, the five of them, that was their true happiness. And her stubbornness was going to deprive everyone of that.

Regina had become the savior of that Dark Curse when she had broken it over a year ago on the docks. That meant that she was responsible for giving people their happy endings, just as much as Emma was. How could she fulfill her duty as a hero if she couldn't even give a happy ending to the four people she loved the most?

She needed to let go. She was ready to fight for what was rightfully hers after years and years of torment and anguish. This was _her_ happy ending and the universe had presented it to her at this precise moment in time. She had earned every bit of her happiness. She had sacrificed much to redeem herself from the dark soul she had become. This was _hers._ Nothing was going to take Regina's family, she knew that. Because even if something tried, she would be there to stop it, and she would have the backs of her friends and her family to support and help her defeat any lingering evil that dared to get in the way of _her happy ending_.

Regina felt herself relax in Robin's arms, felt him encase her in his warmth and strong arms, tugging her closer against his body. His hands traveled along her bare back and his head fell into the crook of her neck, where the kisses he peppered there chased away any of her doubts. "I can hear you thinking," he murmured and a gentle smile graced his features.

"This is a lot to take in," she replied with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"What is?" Robin asked, tipping his head up. His nose brushed against her throat as he did so, and Regina raised a hand, tangling her fingers through his sandy, short locks of hair.

"I just..." Regina trailed off, tears springing into her eyes. "I never thought I'd have this," she murmured.

"Well, you do. And it's never going away. I'll love you for all eternity, Regina Mills, and nothing will ever change that," Robin said. "I'll always be here for you and our baby and our sons. Our family."

Regina smiled softly at Robin. _Ours._ He was right – this was all theirs. Their sons, their baby, _their_ family. Through this experience, Regina hadn't just gotten a baby of her very own, a pregnancy of her very own, but she had found her home, her family that consisted of more than just herself, Henry, and soon, the baby. She had Robin and Roland, too, and she loved all three of her boys and the baby with all of her heart.

Even if she tried to push Robin away, she couldn't. _That_ would break her heart. She had to let him in. She had to trust that everything would be okay and that nothing would harm them.

So Regina finally let go of the fear that was holding her back. It lingered still, but in the back of her mind. She finally allowed herself to trust, to love, to believe, to _hope._

"Robin?" Regina asked softly.

His head lifted from the crook of her neck as he gazed down at her with those calming blue eyes. "Mhm?" he hummed.

"I–I love you, too."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Because February 1st is Regina's birthday, I decided to post a birthday chapter. This was originally supposed to be chapter 12, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get it up in time if I did that, so I rearranged things! And, it's from Robin's PoV again.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

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Regina's pregnancy had been running smoothly over the past few weeks. She'd had a few appointments and Robin had attended every one of them. Dr. Venus had been very helpful, giving the couple tips on things Regina could do or eat to be sure that she and the baby stayed healthy. Robin enjoyed the ultrasounds the most when he could see their baby each week as it grew bigger and bigger.

His relationship with Regina was flourishing as well. He was glad that they'd finally admitted their love for one another. It was great to be in a relationship with the mother of his child. The two of them were nearly inseparable, they were always together after days at work and spent a lot of time planning for their baby. They also took moments to themselves as well. If the boys weren't around or if they were busy, the couple would watch a movie together or even make love if Regina was up for it. Sometimes, though, she just wanted to be held because something was hurting or she felt sick or even emotional due to her hormones.

Today, however, was a very special day, and not just because it was the start of week eleven of her pregnancy, but because it was Regina's birthday. Robin knew very well that Regina didn't like to celebrate her birthdays due to her rough childhood. She was never excited for them – in fact, he knew that she sometimes missed them altogether, only remembering weeks later that she was one year older. Last year during her thirty-fifth birthday, Robin had planned a surprise party for the evening at Granny's, and everyone closest to Regina came. But today he wanted to make it a little more special for her.

When he woke up, Regina was still fast asleep, her body cuddled up against his. His hand was resting in its usual spot on her belly, which had finally begun to show signs of the life inside. The tiniest bump had formed, one that would grow bigger as Regina's second trimester snuck up on them and would be upon them after week twelve. He gently rubbed her belly, slowly slipping out of the bed as carefully as he could so not to disturb his sleeping beauty. Once up, he kissed her forehead and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. (She had been growing out her hair, he noticed. When they had begun trying for a baby, it had been just above her shoulders, but now it was an inch or so below. Robin knew it was for the baby. She had shared with him that when Henry was a baby and she would hold his little head to her face, his fingers would play with the ends of her hair.)

Robin went to the bathroom and showered off before putting on a t-shirt and jeans. He quietly exited the bathroom and made his way into Henry's room, gently wrapping on the threshold of the door.

Henry sat up in bed with his brown hair sticking up in all directions. Robin resisted the urge to chuckle at him as the boy clambered sleepily to his feet. "Is Operation: Birthday a go?" he asked.

Robin nodded and smiled wide. "It is. Your mother is still sound asleep. We have plenty of time."

"Good. My mom really likes scrambled eggs. And bacon and sausage. Do you know how to make apple pancakes?" Henry inquired, turning to face Robin.

"Not exactly," Robin said with a cringe. He knew Regina loved apple pancakes, however. She always ordered them at Granny's when they went there for breakfast.

"That's okay," Henry said. "I do."

"Perfect. You're in charge of pancakes, then. Roland and I will take care of the rest," Robin said as he left Henry to get ready and went to Roland's room.

Over the past few weeks that they'd been living her, it wasn't the nursery that Regina and Robin had been preparing, but Roland's room. By now, it looked like a small child's room should and no longer like a guest bedroom. Thankfully, Henry had been willing to donate the toys and bedspreads he didn't need now that he was blossoming into a teenager, so Robin and Regina hadn't had to buy much for Roland.

Robin walked into his son's room to find the boy curled up in his bed, still sound asleep. He went to his boy's bedside and gently shook him. "Hey, Roland," he said softly. "Ready to go make Mommy's birthday special?" he asked. It felt so good to call Regina Roland's mommy. The boy had needed a woman to look up to as his mother since his own had died giving birth to him and Regina was more than willing and very nurturing to Roland.

The little boy shot up in bed with an excited smile. He climbed out of the covers and went to his nightstand drawer. He pulled out a picture he had drawn at school, one he said he wanted to give Regina on her birthday. It was a picture of her and Robin holding hands. There was Henry and Roland standing beside them, along with Copper. And beside the dog, there was a baby swaddled in a pink blanket. Each person was labeled accordingly: 'Daddy', 'Mommy', 'Henry', 'me', 'Copper', and 'baby sister'.

"I think Mommy will love that picture, Roland," Robin said with a smile. "But what if the baby is going to be your brother?"

"But I already have a brother," Roland said. "So I want a sister."

"I'm afraid it isn't up to you," Robin said and chuckled as he picked his boy up and carried him over to the dresser so he could help dress him. "But a baby sister would be fun, wouldn't it?"

Roland nodded his head. "Can I _please_ have a baby sister, Daddy?" he begged, clasping his hands together.

Robin tugged Roland's pajama top off and helped him into an orange t-shirt. "I'm afraid it's not up to me, either. Or Mommy."

"Who is it up to, then?" Roland asked curiously.

"No one, really," Robin replied. "It just happens." He knew explaining X and Y chromosomes to his son would be confusing, and telling him that the sperm that fertilized the egg was responsible for his baby brother or sister's gender was not a conversation that Roland was ready for and Robin was not ready to give it.

"Okay," Roland said with a shrug and Robin supposed that his response was good enough for his son to understand.

After dressing Roland and combing his hair, the two of them met Henry in the kitchen who had waited for Robin to arrive before making the pancakes (thank goodness, or Regina would have killed the both of them).

While Henry got started on the pancakes, Robin lifted Roland on top of the counter and they started on the scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. It wasn't before too long that they had an entire breakfast laid out on the table, waiting to be eaten.

"You boys wait here. I am going to go wake up your mother and then we will eat, okay?" Robin asked as both Henry and Roland nodded.

With that, Robin headed upstairs and made his way into the bedroom he shared with Regina. She was still curled up beneath the covers, sound asleep. Robin made his way over to her and got on his need at her bedside. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, raising a hand to run his fingers through her silky black hair. "Hey, birthday girl," he cooed. "Time to wake up. We have a special day ahead of us."

Regina wrinkled her nose and shifted in bed, a small whimper escaping her lips. Her brow knitted together, that little vein appearing down the center of her forehead. Robin leaned in and kissed it before it disappeared as her face relaxed.

"Come on, sweetheart. I have a surprise for you," Robin prodded, but Regina simply turned over, her back now facing him. "Okay, my queen. You asked for it."

Robin climbed into the bed with Regina and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her on top of him. She gasped a little as his hands began to tickle her sides. He sat them up in the bed so that Regina was sitting in his lap, fidgeting as he tickled her. Robin began to kiss all over her face, singing "Happy Birthday"to her between all of his kisses.

When he was finished, he pulled back to find his beautiful queen giggling nonstop with the greatest smile on her face that he had ever seen. Robin leaned in and kissed that smile away as passionately as he could until Regina was panting for air. "Happy Birthday, beautiful," he said softly as he climbed out of bed with Regina in his arms.

"Thank you," Regina said and chuckled slightly. "Robin, what are you doing?" she asked.

"No pregnant queen of mine is going to be walking on her birthday. Think of me as your personal carriage," he said with a smile, which widened as Regina buried her head against his neck and peppered grateful kisses there.

As he carried her down the steps, she looked up and sniffed the air. "What's that wonderful smell?" she asked, her dark eyes locking onto Robin's.

"Your birthday surprise, my love," Robin said as he kissed her cheek and set her down in the threshold of the kitchen. "I had a little help," he said.

Robin watched as Regina was nearly knocked over by two boys who crashed into her and hugged her tightly and by a large dog who had caught on to the family's excitement and danced around the boy's feet. Henry kissed the side of his mother's head (the boy was as tall as she now... he was growing so quickly) and Roland was just the same height as her belly, so he kissed the slight swell where the baby was.

"Happy Birthday, Mom," Henry said with a smile as he pulled away.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Roland cheered and Regina picked him up, kissing his head and then Henry's.

She smiled at her sons and then at Robin. "Thank you all," she said gently with tears in her eyes.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Roland asked with a point, catching on to the tears in Regina's eyes. "Don't be sad."

"I'm not sad, baby," Regina said, bending down to Roland's level. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and they held each other tight. "I am very happy and sometimes when you are very happy, you cry."

"Oh," Roland said as he pulled back and reached up, his small hands wiping away Regina's tears. "I have a present for you."

"You do?" Regina asked, leading him towards the table, Henry and Robin following them. "What do you have for me?"

Roland went over to the counter and grabbed his picture before returning to Regina who had sat down in her seat. "It's a picture of our family," he said. "I made it at school. The teacher wanted us to make a picture of our family."

"I'm glad my teacher didn't ask me to do that," Henry commented. "I'd need an entire poster board." That made everyone chuckle.

Regina smiled and wrapped her arm around Roland as she studied his gift. "It's very nice, Roland. And look! You even added Copper."

"And my baby sister," Roland announced proudly. "I know she isn't here yet, but I wanted to put her on there anyways."

"What if we have a brother?" Henry asked.

Roland shrugged a little. "I want a baby sister."

"A baby sister would even out all of my siblings," Henry said. "I have a brother and sister on Emma's side of the family. And I have a brother on this one," he said, smiling at Roland. "Now I just need a sister on this side."

"That's three of us wanting a girl, Regina," Robin said with a chuckle.

"Four," Regina said and pointed at herself. "Four of us want a girl. And hopefully next month, I can schedule an appointment for figuring out the gender."

With a cheer from Roland, everyone begins to eat and Regina especially loved her apple pancakes, to which Henry proudly announced that he had made them.

After breakfast, the family settled in for a movie, in which Regina fell asleep during. Robin was content in just holding her through the rest of it. He had found that if Regina didn't wake up on her own, she always had to have a nap during the day and she had decided to take it during the movies, when she usually got drowsy anyways. Robin just held her close to him and rubbed her back and she dozed.

When the movie was over, Robin announced that he was going to take Regina out on a date to the boys and that they were to go with Mary Margaret for the evening. Letting Regina continue to sleep on the couch (and she was joined by Copper as soon as Robin got up) he drove the boys over to Mary Margaret's and David's before returning home.

Regina was up and folding laundry when he returned. She looked up with a small smile. "Where did you take the boys?" she asked as she folded one of Henry's shirts and placed it in a pile.

"To Snow's," Robin answered. "She will be watching them for us this evening, as I am taking you out on a birthday date."

"Is that so?" Regina asked with a wide smile, to which Robin nodded in confirmation.

"We have reservations for five."

"To what restaurant?" Regina asked curiously.

"That is a surprise," Robin answered. "Now, I am going to go make sure that everything is going as planned. You keep folding that laundry." He dropped a kiss to Regina's forehead and headed upstairs, locking himself in the bedroom, where he dialed John.

"Hey, Robin," John said. "I'm sure you're calling about our progress?"

"Yes," Robin replied. "How's everything going out there?"

"Splendid! Killian made sure the beach is reserved for just the two of you tonight. He even offered the _Jolly Roger_ if you wanted to, ya know..." John cleared his throat before continuing. "David just sent in the order to Granny's and Will and I are making this place as romantic as can be."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come over and help?" Robin asked. "It was my idea after all."

"No, mate, it's okay. You're going to be doing plenty. Besides, it's your job to make sure Regina stays at home until it's time," John said.

"Alright," Robin replied. "I'd better go keep her occupied, then."

"See you later and good luck, mate. I wish the best for you both," John said. "This will be her most memorable birthday yet."

Robin laughed. "It sure will be. Bye, John," he said before hanging up.

When he headed downstairs, he found Regina coming up with a laundry basket full of folded clothes.

"Need any help?" Robin asked and Regina immediately handed him the basket, breathing hard. Stairs had become an obstacle, as she was often out of breath with the baby sharing her oxygen.

Robin set the basket down and offered a hand to help her up. "Well, milady. It's one in the afternoon and we have a while yet before we need to get ready. What do you want to do?"

Regina took his hand and made her way up the rest of the stairs. She let go of Robin's hand and shrugged her shoulders. "Let's go lie down," she said and as she passed him, Robin saw that devious smirk.

"Is that code for 'let's go have birthday sex'?" He asked.

"Perhaps," Regina said, brushing her shoulder against Robin as she made her way into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, giving him an innocent look that he saw straight through. That little minx. She batted her eyelashes at him and gave him a pouty look.

Robin shut the bedroom door and made his way over to the bedside. "A little bird told me that the birthday girl wanted a little extra lovin'?"

"Mhm," Regina practically purred, voice low and sultry, smirking up at Robin with a catlike expression to match her tone. "The little bird told you right."

"I mustn't keep the queen waiting then, should I?" Robin inquired, to which Regina eagerly shook her head.

"It would be a bad idea to keep her waiting," she said, reaching up to grab a fistful of Robin's shirt. She dragged him down to her level with that playful, mischievous smile that instantly had his cock hardening.

Robin removed her hand from her shirt and wrapped his other hand around her other wrist. He pinned her arms above her bed and laid her back on the bed. That smirk didn't waver. In fact, it grew, as did his desire for her. Leaning in, Robin's lips captured Regina's and he kissed her with longing. She sighed against his mouth, melting into his kiss with an equal amount of passion. Robin's tongue slipped across the seam of her lips and Regina eagerly opened her mouth to him with a moan. Robin dipped his tongue inside of her warm mouth, exploring what had become so familiar to him.

As they kissed, Regina raised her hips and pressed them up against Robin's, her low, pleading whine being muffled by his lips which still drank deeply of hers. Robin knew what that meant and he released Regina's hands, moving to spread her legs a part. He fit himself between them and she wrapped her legs around his hips, giving him the right amount of room to slowly rock himself into her. Another moan passed her lips, and Robin enjoyed how exceptionally noisy she was being today, and the friction Robin provided them both with helped relieve a bit of tension they were feeling.

Robin pulled away from Regina's lips after a moment, and began trailing his way along her jaw, nipping in the sensitive areas he knew would make her tick. He had learned Regina's body by now, and this was all second nature to him. He knew the places that brought her the most pleasure, just as she knew his. As he moved to her neck, his lips latching around her soft, supple flesh which he began to tenderly suck on, Regina's hands slipped beneath his shirt, her fingers brushing along his skin. Robin enjoyed the feeling and he knew it brought Regina pleasure, too.

Robin kissed and suck on Regina's neck, reveling in the sounds of her needy moans and whimpers. Ever since pregnancy, she had become more vocal during sex, and said that the tenderness of her body made it much more pleasurable. However, Robin did take it easy. She was sensitive and he was afraid that trying to bring her even more pleasure might hurt instead. If she noticed his extra gentleness with her, she did not say anything. But she did seem to enjoy herself.

His shirt soon came off and Regina's hands began to explore him more fervently, her sex still grinding into his as they dry humped one another like horny teenagers. Robin's hands expertly peeled Regina's shirt off of her body next, throwing it to the floor next to his. He nibbled at her collarbones and paid attention to her sunkissed shoulders with his lips.

As his kisses slowly moved down her sternum and into the valley between her breasts, Robin's hands delicately slipped Regina's bra off as well, discarding it to the floor. Her beautiful, rounded breasts were suddenly exposed to him, but Robin took his time. He slowly trailed his tongue in between them and then around each one, grinning as Regina whimpered his name and arched her back. He felt her hand drift to his hair, her nails digging lightly into his scalp. Robin chuckled against Regina's skin before giving her what she wanted. He latched his lips around one of her pert and dusky nipples, pulling it into his mouth. His hand raised, cupping her other one and he gingerly rolled that nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Regina's back arched into his touch and she moaned, the deep, pleasurable sound coming from deep within.

Robin cast his eyes onto Regina's face as he suckled on her nipple, swirling and flicking the hardened bud with his tongue. Her face was cinched up in pleasure and she was babbling nonsense. Chuckling, Robin released her nipple, landing a final kiss on each breast before moving up to capture her lips once again.

As he lavished her plump, swollen lips with heated kisses, his hands drifted down to the hem of her pajama pants, which he removed quickly, her panties coming off next. He then pulled off his jeans and boxers, because keeping his erection trapped there was near the point of being painful. He then broke their kiss and moved down, parting Regina's legs as he came face to face with her sex which was dripping wet with desire.

Robin leaned in, his tongue instantly finding her clit. He gave it a few meaningful laps with his tongue, which had Regina writhing, her legs wrapping around his head and her hands tugging at his hair as she moaned in her desperation and pleasure. Robin ran his tongue through her slick folds and against her clit before plunging it into her wet heat. His hands landed on her hips to steady her as she bucked against his face. His tongue moved in and out of her, mimicking what he planned to do in just a short amount of time before he returned his attention to her clitoris again. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked on it, making sure to swirl his tongue around the sensitive bud as he did so.

Regina was positively squirming in her spot, her nails scraping deliciously against Robin's scalp. She was saying his name in a pleading manner and he finally peeked up at her from between her legs.

"Yes, love?" he asked with a smirk, feeling her wetness oozing down his chin.

"Please," Regina begged. "Inside me. I _need_ you inside me."

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Robin scooted back up and Regina's legs hooked around his waist and she eagerly bumped against his erection. Robin used his hand to guide himself to Regina's sex, teasing her by running the tip of him through her slick folds. Regina whined and gave him a look, to which Robin laughed off and gave her what she wanted. He guided himself inside of her until she had taken all of him in. They both moaned at the contact and Robin smirked at Regina before pulling out and plunging back in.

As they began a slow rhythm, perfect for lovemaking, Robin found Regina's lips and kissed her once more. He kissed her in a fervent and deep way. The only sounds in the room where that of their skin slapping together and the smack of their lips as they kissed. This went on for several minutes until Robin felt Regina's walls tightening around him, a telltale sign that she was about to come.

He picked up their pace to give her that extra push she needed and her walls spasmed around his cock, which gave him a boost and had him spilling inside of her just shortly after she had come off her high.

Robin pulled out and rolled off beside Regina. She immediately turned over and snuggled up in Robin's arms. He held her naked body to his and watched her as she relaxed and let his hands roam her body. He rubbed her back and lightly palmed at her ass which made her smile lazily.

For the next hour, they laid together in bed and simply talked. Once three o'clock rolled around, however, Regina insisted she get ready and that Robin wasn't allowed to see her until five rolled around. He went into a separate bathroom to get ready.

Robin showered once again, made sure his hair looked nice, and sprayed himself with the pine-smelling cologne that he knew Regina loved. He put on a white button up and a pair of black pants, feeling in the pocket to make sure Regina's birthday gift was still tucked safely inside. He then went to the couch to slip his shoes and socks on and, still hearing Regina's shower running, decided to check in on his friends and called John once more.

"Hey, Rob. We are almost finished and should be out of here by four. The place is looking great," he said. "Your lady is going to love it."

"I'm sure she will. Thank you for doing this, John," Robin said with a smile.

"Not a problem. See you soon, and tell me how it goes," John said.

"I will," Robin promised. "Goodbye."

By the time four forty-five came, Robin was just about ready to go upstairs and check on Regina when he heard someone coming down the stairs and knew it to be her. He turned around and his jaw nearly fell to the ground. Regina looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was loosely curled around her shoulders and she wore a gorgeous white sundress that seemed to make her olive skin glow and accentuated her curves, and even more pleasantly, her little baby bump. Her makeup was light and done to perfection. Robin's eyes were drawn to her plump lips which were shaded raspberry pink by her lipstick.

"Regina, you look lovely," Robin commented and made his way over to her as she grabbed her red peacoat.

Her smile seemed to light up the entire room as she swung her coat around her shoulders. "Thank you," she said.

"Truly. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on," he said as he tugged her coat tighter around her and used it to pull her closer for a soft kiss on the lips. "Are you ready, my love?"

"Ready," Regina replied and moved towards the door.

Robin followed her out, pulling his own cost on as they made their way down the road. "I want you to close your eyes," Robin said as they walked along the sidewalk, drawing closer to the beach. "And no peeking."

Regina chuckled and obediently closed her eyes. She allowed Robin to take her hand and guide her through town. It wasn't long until cement gave way to sand and the sound of crashing waves could be heard as they made their way into the beach.

"You can open your eyes now," Robin said and he watches Regina's expression as she opened her eyes to the sight that his friends had set up for them.

The beach was decorated in white Christmas lights and there was a gazebo available for the both of them. A picnic blanket was spread out and there were lit candles in the gazebo. Robin led Regina over and they sat down on the blanket, which contained only a basket of Regina's favorite food – lasagna from Granny's Diner. Robin would have brought red wine along, but since Regina couldn't have that for the baby's sake, he took out a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice to make up for it, which made Regina laugh.

The two of them ate their meal and discussed a variety of things before snuggling up together on the picnic blanket to watch the sunset. When the sky grew dark, Robin stood up and blew out the candles, beckoning Regina to walk along the beach with him. They kicked off their shoes and began to walk along the water's edge as it lapped at their bare feet. Robin was glad that this winter had been a relatively warm one and that this night wasn't too chilly.

"I love you," Robin said softly as he wrapped an arm around Regina and drew her to his side. "You are the best thing that's happened to me, you know. I couldn't ask for anything better."

He stopped walking then and turned to face Regina with a smile. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed Robin's lips. When she pulled away, she was still grinning. "I love you, too. I'm glad you kept fighting for me. God knows I stopped. But I'm glad you didn't give up and that you shared how you felt with me."

"I'd never give up on you," Robin said, drawing Regina into his arms. The water curled around their feet as the waves crested just before reaching them. "My love for you runs deeper than that ocean. And it has for a very long time." Robin buried his head against Regina's neck, looking for the courage for what was to come. After a moment he pulled back and smiled at Regina.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Robin murmured. "I'm just so glad to be able to call you mine. I'm so glad that I get to love you, to raise Henry and Roland with you, to have a child of our own with you. Nothing could ever make me happier than having you and our little family, knowing all of our children have a loving, strong, and kind mother who will be there for them. And I have a loving woman who always encourages me to be an better man everyday. I truly do believe that fairy when she said we were soulmates, because I never have had a connection with someone the way I have one with you. And it's not just because we are about to be parents of the same child. But, now that we are having a child together, I feel as if we should make our family official. I love you so much, Regina, everything about you, and I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else but you. I say all of this to ask..." Robin fished the 'gift' out of his pocket and revealed a tiny velvet box. He got down on one knee and peeled it open, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring that sparkled in the moonlight. "Regina Mills, will you marry me?"

Regina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears sprung into her big, beautiful eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Slowly, she nodded her head and collapsed in the sand next to Robin, who enveloped her in his arms. The two of them shared a passionate kiss and Regina pulled away, murmuring, "Yes..." to Robin. Gingerly, he took her delicate hand in his and slipped the beautiful diamond ring onto her finger. His fiancée, Regina was his fiancée now.

That night as they laid in bed together, naked once again from a night of passionate lovemaking to seal their engagement, Regina laid in Robin's arms, admiring her ring as he admired her belly and the life that grew within her womb.

"Thank you, Robin," Regina said and he looked up at her. She wore a watery smile and it was the absolute happiest he had ever seen her. "Thank you for making this the best birthday that I've ever had."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Back with another chapter of** _ **Something New!**_ **Who's ready for the gender reveal? ;)**

 **I also warned you of a lot of time skipping. Because I rearranged chapters to fit Regina's birthday in on the actual day, I had to cut Valentine's Day, which was when Robin was originally going to propose. There will be some skipping in this chapter, too.**

 **And, for those who will ask, the wedding will be next chapter! So excited!**

 **ALSO... I do have some idea of what our little Baby Locksley will be called. However, once you're finished reading the chapter and know the gender, please feel free to leave me some baby name ideas, as I have not fully come to a decision and would like some feedback from you guys before I decide.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Regina sat in Granny's Diner, surrounded by two gawking women who gripped her hand and stared wide-eyed at her engagement ring.

"Holy shit, Regina! That's a rock!" Emma exclaimed tugging her friend's hand closer to her. "Robin really has good taste."

"Woah. Calm down. No need to tear the poor pregnant woman a part," Regina complained, drawing her hand back to safer grounds, only to have Mary Margaret snatch it up and give it an excited squeeze.

"Oh, Regina. I'm so happy for you. A baby and a husband? You really are finding your happy ending. And proposal on your birthday? Robin is _so_ romantic," she said with a large grin. "I told you all it took was a little hope. Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" she asked.

"Robin and I wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while," Regina replied and shrugged her shoulders.

"For a _month_?" Emma inquired and raised an eyebrow in question. Her queries only resulted in a small smile from her pregnant friend.

"So, tell us, when's the wedding?" Mary Margaret prodded. Leave it to her to get straight to the details.

"Robin and I want to have it before the baby arrives and preferably before I get too big," Regina said as she pulled her hand back to her side. "It doesn't give us a lot of time to prepare, but we don't want a big wedding so it shouldn't be hard."

"You're not going to go all Gold and Belle on us and have it secretly, are you?" Mary Margaret whined.

"No, no. Not that. But I'm not going all Snow and Charming, either." Regina gave her step-daughter a look and the younger woman smiled guiltily. "Be glad I crashed that wedding, dear. It was a bit... _much_."

"David and I wanted something as big as our love," Mary Margaret defended. "Besides, most royal weddings are big and memorable."

"You could do something like Killian and I did," Emma suggested. "It was mostly family and friends, but Mom insisted I invite people that she knew." The sheriff rolled her eyes and gave Mary Margaret an accusatory glance.

"No way am I having a wedding on a pirate ship. I almost got seasick then, I can only imagine what would happen now that I'm pregnant," Regina said with a shake of her head. "Robin and I were thinking about a wedding in the woods. We'd set up in a little clearing, invite those we're close to."

"That sounds like a good idea," Mary Margaret said.

"I just need some help planning out everything," Regina said, glancing down at her menu as she spoke, and instantly she felt the eyes of her friends on her. She looked back up with an innocent expression. "What?"

"Please, let us help," Mary Margaret begged. "We'll help you find the prettiest dress – oh and I can bribe Granny into making all the food and the cake! And–"

"Hold your horses," Regina chuckled. "Of course the both of you can help. In fact, Mary Margaret, I want you to be my maid of honor. And Emma, I want you to be a bridesmaid."

"Really?" Mother and daughter asked all at once, to which Regina nodded and they smiled wide.

Mary Margaret laughed a little. "Well, there goes my chances of finally getting you back and crashing _your_ wedding." This had all three of them giggling.

"Robin and I have also decided that we want Tinkerbell to marry us," Regina said once the laughter had died down. "After all, it's because of her that all of this came to be."

"That's perfect," Emma said and smiled. "Who else are you considering for the wedding?"

"I've asked Belle to be a bridesmaid. Robin wants Henry to be his best man. Roland will make a perfect ring bearer. I wish Leia were old enough to be the flower girl, but Grace Hatter will do, even if she is a little past the age. Henry begged," Regina said and then noticed the look on Emma's face. "What?"

"Henry hasn't told you yet?" she asked curiously.

"Told me what?" Regina inquired.

"Robin and Killian have been working with him and teaching him how to move in on the ladies. He asked Grace out last Friday and she said yes," Emma reported. "They had a date the next day. Don't worry, I supervised, but don't tell Henry that I was watching him."

Regina's face fell. Her son had a _girlfriend_? She wasn't too upset about that, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but she was sad because, first of all, that meant her son wasn't a boy any more, he was a young man, he was growing up, and second of all, why hadn't he told her? Regina felt tears spring into her eyes. Damn hormones!

"Aw, Regina, don't cry," Mary Margaret said and reached out, taking Regina's hand. She gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. "He was very nervous to tell you."

"I'm sorry," Regina said and wiped at her eyes with the corner of her napkin. "I-It's just... They grow up so fast."

Her two friends chuckled sadly along with her, for they knew what she was talking about. Mary Margaret had a daughter who was, well, as old as she thanks to Regina, and a son who was almost two. Emma was experiencing the same thing with Henry and with her twins who grew bigger and bigger each day. This was Regina's first realization that her son was becoming a young man and it was hitting her hard. She was prepared for a teenager, not a young man who now had a girlfriend and would take her out on dates.

"But now you get to experience all of the stages a mother goes through, all at once. You get the teen, you get the child, and you get the baby," Mary Margaret said. As annoying as it sometimes was, Regina was glad that her friend looked on the bright side.

Regina nodded, a smile gracing her features and chasing away her tears. "I suppose that you're right," she said, resting her hands on the swell of her belly where her child grew.

"Now, back to the wedding," Mary Margaret pressed. "We need to know all the details."

They spent their entire lunch planning for Robin and Regina's wedding and even made dates for various appointments to pick out a dress and things like that. If all went as planned, they'd have the wedding prepared for when Regina hit her fifth month. It was going to be a small wedding, so the planning and arrangements would be minimal and a quick and easy job for the three ladies.

* * *

March twenty-eighth came quicker than Regina had imagined. When she had scheduled the appointment to find out the baby's gender, which would be on her eighteenth week of pregnancy, she never thought that it would come so soon. She figured that the wait would be grueling as she longed to know what gender she and Robin would be having. As it turned out, her time spent planning her wedding with Emma and Mary Margaret took up much of her time and distracted her from the wait.

The alarm woke her and Robin at seven that morning. For a moment, Regina had almost forgotten why she has set it, because she had been doing much of her work at home and had become used to getting up whenever she wanted to. She rolled out of Robin's arms and turned the alarm off, sitting up in bed to rub her sleepy eyes.

Her fiancé didn't move beside her. He was still fast asleep, one arm tucked beneath his pillow, the other lying outstretched from where it had held Regina to him. Chuckling, Regina leaned down and nuzzled her nose against Robin's cheek before moving her lips to brush over his ear.

"Wake up, Robin," she whispered, raising a hand to tenderly brush away a lock of sandy hair away from his forehead. "Don't you want to come with me to find out our baby's gender?"

That had him sitting up in an instant, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms. "Is it that time already?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse from sleep, but shaking with excitement.

"It is," Regina replied, placing her hands on her swollen belly which had grown a considerable amount recently. "But, we have to drop the boys off at school first."

"Let's get ready then," Robin said with a smirk. "If we shower together, it'll save time."

With a light chuckle, Robin pulled Regina with him into the bathroom. The two of them shed their clothes and hopped in under the warm current of the water, which did wonders to the tense, sore muscles in Regina's back. Her morning sickness may have been fading, but everything else was starting to hurt now.

As the steady stream of water dribbled down their bodies, Robin wrapped his arms around his fiancée and pulled her into his arms. Regina settled her head against his bare chest and ran one of her hands along the hard muscle in his abdomen as he peppered kisses into her wet hair.

"Can you believe I'm almost half way through my pregnancy already?" Regina asked.

"No, I can't," Robin replied, "but I'm glad, because that means we are halfway there to meeting our little bundle of joy." One of his hands moved between them to gently rub at Regina's tummy.

"I'm sort of nervous for today," Regina admitted. "I don't know why, but I just am. I know that this day is going to result in a lot of happiness and the two of us curled up on the couch to look at baby names later. These visits just always worry me."

"You know there isn't a reason to be worried, Regina," Robin assured as he reached for the bottle of cinnamon-scented shampoo to slather into Regina's hair. "You're right, we'll be celebrating tonight. We'll have lunch after the appointment, we'll come home and spend some time looking up baby names.  
Tonight, we have the boys and we'll share the news with them. We'll have dinner and bake cookies and watch a silly movie and the two of us will spend some more time looking up names. And then we'll go to sleep after I sing our little one his or her nightly lullaby."

Regina chuckled slightly, and suddenly, everything felt a little lighter. "I suppose you're right. Plus, it'll be nice to finally refer to our baby as a boy or a girl instead of saying 'him or her' or 'it'," she said, crinkling her nose as Robin ran his soapy hands through her raven locks.

"It will be," he replied. "Still hoping for a girl?"

Regina nodded and allowed Robin to move her directly beneath the flow of the water to rinse her hair out. "Yes," she replied. "You?"

"Of course," Robin said. "But nothing will change my joy if we bring another son into the world."

"Agreed," Regina said. "However, I will feel terribly outnumbered by three Locksley boys and Henry once we are married."

"Poor kid is going to have the longest name in Storybrooke. He told me that he wants to be Henry Daniel Mills-Jones-Locksley," Robin said and laughed.

Regina chuckled in amusement. "He's pretty family oriented and wouldn't want us or Emma to feel left out. I'm sure at the end of the day, he'll just stick with Mills, though."

"Probably," Robin said. "You've raised a good boy, Regina. And I already see the impact you're making in Roland's life. You're an astounding mother. Our child is very lucky."

"Well, you can't forget about the father," Regina said. "You see, he's a very caring, kind, and honorable man. He's raised a child all on his own and very well, too. He's a great father."

"I'd love to meet him," Robin said.

Regina laughed and leaned up to peck his lips. "Something tells me you'd like him."

After their shower, the couple got ready for the day. Regina put on a comfortable outfit and a light layer of makeup. She left her hair in their curls and headed downstairs to oversee the boys' breakfast. Her men were sitting at the table with bowls of oatmeal and an apple (all except for Henry who had settled with a banana instead). Regina joined them for a quick meal before they all slipped their jackets and shoes on and headed for the door.

After dropping the boys off to the elementary and middle schools, Robin and Regina went to pay Dr. Venus a visit.

"Good morning, Robin and Regina," Dr. Venus greeted with a cheerful smile as they were led back into the hallway to one of the rooms. "Today is a very exciting day, isn't it?"

"It is," Regina agreed as she gave Robin's hand a gentle squeeze. "The whole family has been anticipating this day."

"Very good," Dr. Venus said as she began to prepare for the ultrasound and gestured for Regina to lie back on the table. "So, how's the wedding planning been going?"

"Pretty well," Regina answered. "I expect to see you there."

"You're inviting me? Really?" Dr. Venus asked, momentarily pausing her work out of shock.

"Of course. Believe it or not, you played an important part in our little love story," Regina said. "We'd love to have you."

Dr. Venus smiled. "Well, thank you, Regina," she said before moving to lift Regina's shirt and spread the cold gel over her belly. Regina tensed, wincing a little. "Sorry, it's a bit chilly," the doctor said.

"That's alright," Regina answered. She was used to this procedure, as her baby had been highly monitored during the first trimester with ultrasounds to carefully inspect growth, but the cold always shocked her.

"Let's just hope that the baby isn't being shy today," Dr. Venus said as she switched the monitor on and grabbed the wand, placing it against Regina's belly. "Alright, let's have a look."

Moving the wand around, the monitor began to pick up the image of the baby. Dr. Venus was quiet for several moments, angling the wand this way and that, eventually capturing a vision of the baby's legs.

"The baby is being a bit secretive, but will move eventually, we will just have to be patient," Dr. Venus reported, keeping the wand in place on Regina's lower stomach.

Regina and Robin anxiously watched the screen. The baby moved a little, in a motion Regina thought meant that he or she was kicking its legs.

"Try talking to the baby," Dr. Venus suggested. "Have you been doing that?"

"We do often," Regina said. "Robin even sings to it every night before bed."

"How adorable," the doctor chuckled softly. "Well, Robin, would you like to do the honors?"

Robin moved forward eagerly and bent down beside Regina's belly. "Hey, baby," he greeted in a gentle, soothing voice. "Your mommy and daddy would love to know what gender you are so we can start picking out names and working on your nursery, so if you would let us see, we can do those things for you. Besides, your brothers want to know if they get a sister or a brother."

The baby didn't move for a while, but suddenly, the image on the monitor began to flutter. The legs were moving once again and this time, they parted.

"Ah!" Dr. Venus exclaimed, aiming the wand right at the source. "Hmm... Well, you two. Care to share your thoughts?"

"A boy?" Robin guessed, pointing at the little bulge between the legs of the baby as the image suddenly shifted when it moved again, reacting to the doctor's voice and ending the display.

"That's actually her foot," Dr. Venus said with a smirk.

"So, then–?" Robin cut himself off as he caught on to what Dr. Venus had said, his question falling away from his lips as he simply stared in awe at the screen.

 _Her_ foot. Regina grinned from ear to ear when she made the realization as well. "A girl," she breathed and Dr. Venus nodded in confirmation.

Robin suddenly leaned in and kissed Regina hard, his hands trembling with excitement as he placed them on either side of her face. "Regina, I have a daughter," he murmured once they had parted.

Regina smiled and shook her head. " _We_ have a daughter," she corrected as her heart skipped a beat, joy filling her entire being and making her shudder in excitement.

Dr. Venus chuckled as she turned off the monitor and cleared the gel from Regina's lower belly. "I take it a girl was what you wanted?" she asked and the couple nodded vigorously.

"Our sons were wanting a sister, too," Regina said with a smile. "They're in for a treat tonight."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Dr. Venus said. "She appears to be very healthy and responsive to you both. You two are doing an excellent job in already building a bond with her. Regina, keep doing what your doing. You're maintaining a very healthy pregnancy so far."

"Good," Regina said with a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to let you two go now," the doctor said as she cleaned up her station. "Congratulations on your baby girl."

"Thank you," Robin and Regina both said and shook Dr. Venus's hand as they made their way out the door.

They stopped for lunch at Granny's and Regina was bombarded by Mary Margaret and Emma who had been on double dates with their husbands. They shared the news of their daughter with them and earned several congratulations. Everyone had known that the Locksley household had been anticipating a baby girl and we're thrilled to know that their wishes had been granted.

The couple had returned home and immediately curled up together on the couch to look up baby girl names. They'd come up with a few that they liked but they still had almost five months to make a decision. When three rolled around, they went to pick up Henry and Roland, who were bouncing with excitement, begging their parents the entire way home to tell them if they had a baby brother or sister.

When they arrived home, Robin and Regina sat their sons down on the couch for the announcement.

"Come on, Mom! Just tell us," Henry whined impatiently, joined in by Roland.

"I've been waiting all day!" he said.

"Boys, settle down," Robin said with a laugh. "We're going to tell you."

"So, you two wanted a sister, right?" Regina asked as she crossed her arms over her chest as Henry and Roland eagerly nodded. They hadn't even bothered to change out of their school uniforms yet. They really _were_ excited. "Well, then. Today is your lucky day because you two are going to have a baby sister soon."

This resulted in a bout of excited cheers as the boys jumped out of their seats and wrapped their mother in a hug, kissing her belly and bidding their hellos to their little sister. And that was when, for the first time, Regina felt her baby kick.

Dr. Venus had said that she should start feeling it anywhere between sixteen and twenty-five weeks, so Regina had been expecting a kick at any time now, but her little baby girl had decided to wait until the entire family was celebrating her gender reveal to give them another reason to be happy.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed and reached out, grabbing Robin's hand and placing it on her belly. "Robin, she's kicking. Boys, keep talking to her."

All four of them placed one hand on Regina's belly and cooed at the baby inside, telling her various things one at a time. Sure enough, after a few moments, yet another kick came and everyone feeling gasped.

"She's just full of surprises," Robin said with tears in his eyes and Regina turned, grasping his face in her hands and kissing him passionately as their boys made disgusted noises behind them.

Regina made lasagna for dinner that night and afterwards, her three boys helped her make cookies. That sat down to a movie as they ate their dessert and then the children were ushered off to bed.

Once the boys were asleep, Robin and Regina got ready for bed and settled down for the night. Before sleeping though, they say in bed, Robin's arms around Regina and one hand rubbing over her belly, and a laptop in her lap as they looked at a baby name website, discussing names they thought were cute for their little girl.

"I love some of these names, but I really want something that's meaningful to us," Regina said. "I named Henry after my father and my first love. I'd like our little princess's name to be just as special."

"I agree," Robin replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Regina's head. "I really like these names but none of them seem to fit. Something meaningful would be nice."

With a soft sight, Regina shut her laptop off and set it aside. "We have a few months yet to decide. We'll think of something by then. I'm sure of it."

The two of them cuddled in together and Regina was lulled to sleep by the sound of Robin's voice as he sang a lullaby to their daughter, an old Enchanted Forest song about a little princess and her father, the king, who would always love and protect her.

Regina was so glad that she had chosen Robin all of those weeks ago to give her a child. She never would have had this if she hadn't and her daughter would never have been so lucky to have the best father in the world.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here it is! The wedding chapter! I am both excited and sad to say that this is the second to last chapter of this fic. Next chapter, we'll see the birth of a very long awaited baby girl and then I'll be moving on to another project. It's been a great journey and so far, this has been my favorite fanfiction to write.**

 **Enjoy and share your thoughts!**

* * *

The next month had been total chaos preparing for the wedding, and aside from being a bit of a stress, it was also the fun type of chaos. But, finally, the day had come to marry Robin and Regina. Today was just the beginning to their bright future.

Robin had been shooed out of the house that morning by Mary Margaret and Emma, sent to the Charming's apartment where all of the men were getting ready for the wedding. Instead of being woken up by tender kisses, Regina was jostled awake by her two obnoxious friends, who might've been more excited for this wedding than she was.

"Up, up, up, Regina!" Exclaimed Mary Margaret as she gave her friend an excited shake, which yanked Regina right out of her pleasant sleep. She had finally gotten to sleep last night after several hours of being kept awake by her daughter's relentless kicking.

Regina groaned and opened her eyes, glaring up at Mary Margaret. "You know, Robin is a much better person to wake up to. Less annoying," she said as she sat up. "And he kisses me awake, he doesn't make me feel like I'm in the middle of a storm tossed ocean."

"You big baby," Mary Margaret laughed as she eagerly pulled on Regina's arm, all the while leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Not funny," Regina remarked as her friends laughed.

"You said that you got kissed awake," Mary Margaret defended as she finally pulled Regina to her feet.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'd rather not have you kissing me awake, thank you very much."

"Oh, come on, Regina, don't be such a grump," Emma said, leaning against the wall. "It's your wedding day! Get excited!"

"I am," Regina defended, which earned her a raised eyebrow and a very disbelieving look from her companions. "I am! Most women who didn't get much sleep because of their kicking daughters tend to be a little on the grouchy side in the mornings."

"We are aware," Mary Margaret said.

"Suck it up, queenie," Emma said scoffingly. "You can complain when you are pregnant with twins."

"I'm going to complain _now_ ," Regina insisted as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes with her fists.

"How about this? You go simmer down in the shower and we'll make you breakfast," Mary Margaret suggested, always trying to keep the peace. She gave Regina an understanding look, knowing her friend was stressed on this day with wedding plans and lack of sleep. This was why Regina and chosen her to be her maid of honor.

The brunette nodded, sounding pleased with those plans. "Alright," she said with a sigh and headed for the bathroom.

Regina took a long shower, staying beneath the flow of the hot, steamy water until it began to cool. She scrubbed her hair and lathered her body before rinsing off and allowed the hot water to wash away her worries and relieve the sore muscles in her back.

 _Just settle down, Regina. This is your big day! You're finally going to become family with Robin – you're going to be his wife! You've got everything under control. You just need to relax and trust in the fact that Mary Margaret and Emma have everything under control. They'll take care of everything, just have a little faith._

After giving herself a little pep talk, Regina climbed out of the shower, feeling refreshed and a lot more cheerful. She dried off and slipped into her bra and panties, as well as a t-shirt and yoga pants. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes flitting down to the swell of her stomach. Regina ran her hands over it with a small smile.

"Hey, my little princess," she cooed to her belly. "Mind giving me a day off today? I'd like to feel my best. It's a very special day. You see, your daddy and I are getting married and when you get here, we'll be one big, happy family. You'd like that wouldn't you?" As always, the tone of voice Regina used specifically when talking to her baby earned her a light kick. "Good girl," she praised. "And thank you."

Regina headed downstairs after that to find her friends waiting with a plate of food for her – eggs, bacon, and toast with a glass of orange juice. Regina sat down and immediately began to eat, her stomach growling now that she could smell the food.

Emma and Mary Margaret joined her at the table, but didn't eat and Regina assumed they already had had breakfast. "Did you have a rough night?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yes," Regina answered. "I was very uncomfortable and she kept kicking. I was tossing and turning, probably kept Robin up, too. I told him he could go to the couch but he insisted he stay. I think it was he who eventually got both me and the baby to calm down. He sang to her and rubbed my belly."

Both women smiled. "Robin's such a good daddy," Emma said. "And he's going to make a great husband, too."

"He will," Regina agreed as she crunched into her toast.

"So, have you started to work on the nursery, yet?" Mary Margaret asked curiously.

Regina nodded and smiled. "We have. We're doing the big jobs first so we don't have to worry about them while I'm close to my due date. We painted the room... That took a few weeks and moved in a crib and other furniture. The boys helped us put it all together. I'll have to show you what we have so far before we leave."

"Sounds good," Emma says. "I want to see what you've come up with."

"I think you guys will enjoy it. It's a pretty big deal... We actually had Gepetto help us, too," Regina admitted.

"Marco?" Emma asked in shock. "It must be a very nice nursery."

Regina just smiled wide and shrugged her shoulders before turning to Mary Margaret. "When's our appointments?"

"We have a mani/pedi at nine and hair and makeup at eleven and twelve," she informed. "We'll then get into our dresses and head into the forest for the wedding."

Once Regina had finished her meal, she led her friends into what would be her baby's nursery. She slowly pushed open the door and watched as her friends stared slack jawed at the walls.

It was as if one had stepped right into Henry's storybook. Fairy tale characters lined the walls – Snow White, Prince Charming, the seven dwarves, and the Queen took up one wall. The Queen's arm was outstretched and was joined by another on the next wall, where the image faded into Robin Hood holding her hand and his Merry Men in the background. The next wall contained the fairies, Tinkerbell being in the lead. On the cloud behind the fairies, there were words printed 'Faith, trust, and pixie dust.' A trail of green shone down a small tavern and Regina's castle was in the background. On the final fourth wall, other special characters stood out – Gepetto, Jiminy Cricket, and Pinnochio, Little Red Riding Hood and Granny, as well as little iconic images placed strategically in the picture, such as glass slippers, an apple, and so on.

Next, there was the beautifully handcrafted crib made to look like a tree that blended in perfectly with the wall mural and looked just like a part of the painting. Above it, hung a mobile with fairies dangling off of it. Gepetto had made a dresser and a rocking chair, too. On top of the dresser, Henry's _Once Upon a Time_ book was proudly displayed.

"Regina..." Emma whispered in awe. "This is..."

"Amazing," Mary Margaret finished. "And an absolutely genius idea. It's gorgeous!"

"It was all Henry's idea," Regina said with a shrug. "He thought that the baby should know where she comes from right from the start. He even kindly donated his book so that we can read her the correct fairytales instead of what Brother's Grimm or Disney came up with."

"Tell Henry he's a genius!" Emma exclaimed. "This is stunning. So colorful and it will really give the baby an idea of where she came from."

"It's not quite finished yet. We have a few trinkets to buy yet that we saw in Gold's shop that we were going to put in here," Regina said with a smile. "And we still have to go clothes shopping for her. We've just been so busy with this."

"I can understand why," Mary Margaret said, still sounding awed. "You'd better never paint over this room, Regina. Even if she decides one day that she doesn't want this to be her theme anymore, please do _not_ get rid of this masterpiece. It's too precious."

"I won't," Regina said with a smile. "Besides, maybe somewhere along the line, Robin and I will have another baby. You never know."

After showing them her daughter's magical nursery, the women made their way to the nail saloon, joined by Belle along the way. They got their fingernails and toenails painted a deep shade of red, as Regina had settled for white and red as her wedding colors. They chatted as their fingers and toes were painted and Regina was going on about how glad she was that this place had massage chairs because her baby had given her an achy back that morning.

After their nails were finished, the girls headed into the beauty saloon. There, they were given a full facial treatment before getting their makeup done. Then, it was time for their hair. Regina's hair was curled and then done up into an intricate bun and a crown was placed on her head, because she was a queen, Mary Margaret had insisted, and a queen needed a crown on her wedding day. Besides, the veil would hook on to it.

After that, Regina got changed into her beautiful wedding gown. It was as white as the snow, sleeveless, with a sweetheart neckline and lace bodice. At her waist, the gown flowed out about her like an elegant ball gown. A veil was hooked onto her crown and a ruby necklace with matching earring adorned her neck and ears.

"Regina, you look absolutely beautiful," Mary Margaret said as she admired her best friend in her wedding gown.

"You do look outstanding," Belle agreed. "Makes me wish I had gotten a fancy wedding dress."

"I wish I looked that good on my wedding day," Emma said and let out a whistle. "Damn, Robin's going to swoon when he sees you."

"I think I may be the one swooning," Regina said and placed her hand on her belly. "It's a little tight."

"Don't worry, I packed you another dress for the reception. You didn't want fancy so nobody's expecting you to wear your wedding dress all night," Mary Margaret said.

"Thank you, you are a lifesaver," Regina said with a relieved sigh as she eyed her bridesmaid and maid of honor in their deep red dresses. "You girls look great, too," she said as Mary Margaret handed her a bouquet of white and red roses.

"They should be ready at any time now," Mary Margaret said with a smile and motioned Henry, who would be walking Regina out since her father could not.

That thought had Regina frowning. Her father had been there for her wedding with Leopold, an awful, vile man that she could never love, but now, he couldn't be here for a wedding that truly mattered. He had always wanted to see her happy, and told Regina he would always be there for her, and that he would be there on her special day when she married the man of her dreams.

But Daddy was gone. Daddy would never get to walk her down the aisle and deliver her into Robin's arms. He would never get to meet his granddaughter or any of his grandchildren for that matter – not Henry, not Roland, not his little princess.

Regina felt tears spring into her eyes and one even cascaded down her cheek. Mary Margaret and Henry were over her in a moment.

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asked.

"Regina, what's wrong?" Mary Margaret inquired, her face knit in concern.

Regina wiped at her eyes carefully, not wanting to smear her makeup. "I-I'm fine," she insisted. "I just... Had a moment. I wish my father were here. I want him to be able to walk me down the aisle to Robin. I want him to meet my sons and my daughter."

"Oh, Regina," Mary Margaret said and pulled her friend in for a hug, Henry joining in. "It's okay. He's watching, I know he is. And I know he's proud of you for all you've been through. And I'm sure he loves his grandchildren. I know what it's like to not have your father walk you down the aisle or see your children. I face that everyday."

 _But my father was a good man who deserved all of this, not death, yours was vile, he deserved what I gave him. Leopold's life is the only one I will never regret taking,_ Regina thought with a shiver. She had never had the heart to tell Mary Margaret about her father's true colors, and now certainly wasn't the time to even think that. Instead, Regina heaved a sigh. "I guess I ruined that for the both of us, huh?"

"Yeah," Mary Margaret agreed. "But it's okay, Regina. You have your son to walk you down the aisle, and I think that's pretty special."

Regina turned to look down at Henry who smiled up at her. Oh, her father would be so proud of his grandson. Regina kissed Henry's head and pulled him closer. "Ready, my little prince?"

Henry chuckled and slipped his arm through hers. "Ready, Mom. Now come on. We don't want to keep Robin waiting any longer."

With that, the music began to play and people began to file out of the trees. The Merry Men (all of which were groomsmen) went first, followed by Robin, as his best man was currently occupied with walking Regina down the aisle. Emma and Belle followed, and then Mary Margaret. Grace Hatter and Roland went next. Regina smiled at how cute Roland looked, carrying the wedding rings on the pillow down the aisle. Henry certainly had eyes for his girlfriend, who looked exceptionally pretty in her wedding ceremony attire. Then, finally, it was their turn and the music switched as Regina was escorted down the aisle by Henry. Her eyes were glued to Robin and she silently cursed the veil that hung in front of her face, making her view a little hazy. He still looked handsome nonetheless.

Once they reached the end of the aisle, Henry lifted Regina's veil and kissed her cheek before winking at Robin and he went to stand by his side. Regina moved to stand in front of her groom and he took her hands.

Regina turned to smile at Tinkerbell, who winked at her. "I told you a little pixie dust could help," the fairy whispered before turning to address the congregation.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of two beloved people here in Storybrooke – our fine mayor, Regina Mills, and a loyal friend, Robin Locksley."

Robin and Regina smiled at each other. They had written their wedding vows and read them to each other before realizing that their words seemed much too intimate to share with everyone else. So, they had decided that they would just go traditional.

"Robin Locksley, do you take Regina Mills to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Tink asked.

"I do," Robin answered sincerely.

"And do you, Regina Mills, take Robin Locksley as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Tink asked.

Regina looked up at Robin with a wide grin. "I do," she said.

Tinkerbell smiled at the couple. "Then I now present to you all Mr. and Mrs. Robin Locksley as man and wife. Robin, you may now kiss your bride."

Robin cupped Regina's face in his hands and kissed her, lovingly and passionately as their audience stood up and applauded them.

Robin pulled away and rested his forehead against Regina's. "I love you, Mrs. Locksley."

"And I love you, Mr. Locksley," Regina whispered.

The wedding reception soon came and Regina was glad to be out of her wedding dress, even though it was gorgeous. She sat beside Robin and ate a hearty dinner of Granny's lasagna, the only kind better than her own. Regina sat back in her seat, completely full and was glad to get on her feet and burn a few calories when Robin asked her to dance.

Regina stood up and took his hand as he led her to the dance floor for a slow dance. Regina leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and closed her eyes as they slowly rocked back and forth. Robin whispered his love to her in her ear and Regina smiled, wondering how she ever got so lucky to find him.

Once the slow song ended, Henry got a hold of the DJ booth somehow, Regina just knew it because _Only You_ by Yazoo started playing. The pace picked up until Robin was twirling Regina around as she laughed, and they were surrounded by other dancers, including Henry and his girlfriend, who he just have been trying to impress with the song.

As the reception went on, Regina shared a few dances with her sons, one with David who wished her well on her marriage, and for the final song, she was back in Robin's arms. When the music ended, Regina was nearly sleeping on her own two feet.

"Let's get you home," Robin whispered as he helped Regina outside and into the car with the boys. She fell asleep on the short ride home and when she woke up next, she was in Robin's arms in their bedroom.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to sleep our wedding day away."

"No worries," Robin said as he kissed Regina's head. "You're pregnant and such events wore you out. Even I'm tired, I can't imagine how you feel."

"Exhausted," Regina laughed. "I can't believe I'm finally Regina Locksley."

"Me either," Robin said with a smile. "But I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have you as my wife, and the luckiest daddy, too," he did, placing his hand above Regina's baby bump. "Four more months until we can meet her."

"I'm excited," Regina said with a grin.

And those four months would fly by so fast. Regina would have her little bundle of joy in no time, and she would have her husband there to help her raise her child. She couldn't have hoped to be any luckier. She had all she wanted and needed in life.

She had finally found her _happy ending._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is it, this is the final chapter. I'm both sad and excited to share it with you. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. I find it funny that today is the 7th, marking two months since I started this fic. I really hope you enjoy this final chapter.**

 **Also, I tried to get the whole birth thing right. I did some research on what happens just to make sure I had things down, so if I got a few things wrong,**  
 **I apologize.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Life in the Locksley household had been bliss over the following months. Everyone was happy and expectant of the newest family member on the way. When they weren't working, Regina and Robin often spent time putting final touches on the nursery, buying baby clothes, and other things Storybrooke's newest princess would need during her early days of life. Roland and Henry were always eager to join their parents on trips to the store to buy things and always had a huge influence on what they thought their baby sister would like.

Months flew by and Regina was growing closer to her due date. Her summer was spent mostly in discomfort for she had reached her third trimester and the baby was not kind to her. She gave Regina constant back aches and feet aches and Regina was always tired. Luckily, she had Robin there to give her massages to relieve her discomfort. Regina had trouble sleeping most nights, and so she and Robin would try to talk to their baby to get her to calm down enough for Regina to sleep. Robin would sing and sometimes Regina would join in, and they'd always talk to their child.

Finally, the month of August arrived, as did Regina's final few weeks of pregnancy. Robin had her keep off of her feet as much as possible and Regina did not complain. Sometimes, just carrying the extra weight of her baby was enough to make walking hurt and Regina could hardly do anything with such a large belly. Mid-August came, Regina's fortieth week of pregnancy, and she had been feeling false contractions, telltale signs that the baby could be here any day now. She had packed a hospital bag a few days ago when she had first felt them so she wouldn't have to pack while she was in pain.

However, on August seventeenth, just minutes before August eighteenth arrived, Regina knew her contractions were different. At first, she thought it was just a false alarm. She laid awake as pain seized her lower belly, wincing for about the first hour and a half, but the contractions didn't cease. In fact, they showed no signs of relenting and only intensified.

Regina glanced over at Robin as he slept beside her. She hated waking him up but she was in so much pain. Another contraction seized her body and her arm shot out reflexively, gripping Robin's arm. He instantly shot up out of bed and stared down at his wife in alarm.

"Regina? Is everything okay?" he asked, but he must've been able to see her colorless face and pained expression, for he instantly adopted a look of concern.

Regina vigorously shook her head 'no'. "Robin... I-I think she's coming," she said, her voice shaking.

"Okay..." Robin said and ran his hands through his hair, taking a big breath to get ahold of himself. "Okay... Let me call Emma. She said she'd watch the boys on short notice if something like this happened."

Regina watched, panting as her contraction slowly passed by, as Robin got to his feet and fished around in the dark for his phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited impatiently while the phone rang.

He sighed in relief when his call was answered. "Yes... Yeah, we think she's in labor. Can you come stay with the boys? You can have a guest bedroom or crash on the couch. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much, Emma." He then hung up the phone and turned to Regina. "Alright, babe, let's go."

Robin assisted Regina out of bed and into some clothes and shoes. He grabbed her hospital bag, the keys, and a jacket for them both. He helped Regina into her jacket and escorted her out the door and to the car, just as Emma was speeding into the driveway.

"Hey, Regina, how are you holding up?" Emma asked as she jogged over while Robin was helping his wife into the car.

"I'm okay," Regina said, wincing a little bit. "Any tips?"

"Just push as hard as you can," Emma said with a shrug. "Unless you're doing a C-section?"

Regina shook her head. "No, everything is alright so I'm just going to do this the natural way."

Emma nodded and smiled a little. "Alright, well, good luck. Give me a call when she's born and I'll bring the boys over to meet her."

"Thank you, Emma," Regina said as Robin shut her door and climbed in on the driver's side.

Robin rushed Regina to the hospital after that. Regina thought he seemed a little more nervous than she pegged he would be. After all, he had gone through this before when Marian had given birth to Roland. Maybe it was worrisome to him because the process of birth was different from in the Enchanted Forest. Had they been there, Regina would have had a midwife come to her to help her deliver, but now she had to go to the hospital where doctors and nurses would bustle around her. Now that Regina thought about it, she was scared, too.

When they arrived at the hospital, Robin helped Regina inside. The assistant at the desk immediately ordered a wheelchair and Regina was wheeled away to the maternity wing, Robin jogging behind.

They led her into a room and helped her into a hospital gown and into the bed. There, Dr. Whale waited with Dr. Venus. Regina curled her lip when she saw the first doctor. She wasn't all that thrilled about having Whale help her deliver her baby, for the two of them had never gotten along, but Dr. Venus's presence soothed her.

"Okay, let's see how dilated you are," Whale said and lifted Regina's gown to check. "Five centimeters. Half way there, just hang tight Regina."

Regina raised an eyebrow. No crude or rude comments? That was new. When Whale pulled away, Regina saw a hint of fear in his eyes and she smirked a little. An evil queen in labor wasn't the person to mess with, that must be what it was.

Dr. Venus approached Regina's bedside and smiled. "It's been a long journey, Regina, and I promised that I'd get you here," she said. "And don't worry about Whale. I knew that the two of you didn't get along so I gave him a warning that he might be charred to a crisp if he crossed paths with you now."

Regina smiled a little and managed to chuckle through her pain. "Thank you. I definitely won't have the patience for him today, as if I do any other time."

The hospital room fell quiet after that. Regina kept feeling contractions as they intensified and kept growing closer together. Robin had settled in a chair by her side and held her hand, but he was so restless, it was almost painful to watch.

"Robin, what's the matter?" Regina asked, turning to look over at her husband, who had a flushed face, tired eyes, and wore a frown.

He sighed a little and shook his head. "I'm just worried, I'm sorry. This... This was how I lost Marian. I'm just revisiting a dark part of my past and even though I know it's not going to happen, I'm just worried I'm going to lose you."

Regina gave Robin's hand a gentle squeeze and offered him a small smile. "Robin, I'll be okay. I've had a very healthy pregnancy, nothing is wrong now. It'll be just fine."

"I know," he said with a sigh. "Marian's pregnancy was very problematic. I almost lost her and Roland before it was her time to give birth. And when she did... I did lose her. I'm trying to convince myself that it won't happen again, because everything is just fine now... I'm sorry, I should be happy."

"I know you're happy," Regina said. "I can see it in your eyes, and don't feel bad. I understand why you'd be so scared. I'm scared, too."

"Why's that?" Robin inquired.

"I know it's going to hurt," Regina answered. "And I think you'd be scared, too, if you had to push a human being out of your... well, nevermind. You don't have one of those."

The two of them shared a bittersweet laugh, still worried, but trying to make light of their fear.

Within the next couple of hours, Regina's water broke. She was trying so hard to get a little bit of rest since it was the middle of the night, but contractions often woke her and with a particularly strong one, she felt a stream of warm liquid ooze down her legs. She glanced over at Robin, who had fallen asleep in her chair and she gently jostled him awake.

"Robin... Robin..." she whispered.

He slowly sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina assured. "My water just broke. I need you to get the doctors."

It was at that precise moment that Whale and Venus came into the room, as if they knew that Regina had needed them.

"Let's check you–"

"My water broke," Regina reported, cutting Whale off.

The doctors checked her once again after that. "Almost there. Eight centimeters dilated. We'll start preparing you for labor. You may start dilating even quicker now that your water has broken," Dr. Venus said.

Within minutes, Regina was ready to begin pushing whenever she was given the command. The pain was becoming nearly unbearable, and Regina had never felt anything like it before. It felt as if she was being stabbed repeatedly in the lower abdomen. Everything below her belly button hurt, as if she was being torn in two.

Robin stood close by Regina's side and he gently stroked her hair and held her hand, which Regina was beginning to squeeze whenever she felt a contraction.

"I'm sorry if I break your hand," Regina told Robin when she saw him grimace the next time she gripped his hand.

He simply smiled and bent down to kiss her clammy forehead. "Don't worry. We're right here at the hospital, I'll have it patched up," he teased. "Squeeze as hard as you need to. I'm not the one giving birth."

Another hour passed and the doctors checked Regina once more. "Okay, you're at ten centimeters, Regina. It's time to start pushing," Whale said.

Regina took a deep breath and waited as Dr. Venus and Dr. Whale prepared for the baby. Robin stood at the ready, his grip tightening on Regina's hand.

"Okay, one big push," Dr. Venus said.

Mustering up all of her strength, Regina began to push on the doctors' instruction. There definitely had to be someone ripping her in half. Regina cried out in pain, falling back against the bed with a heaving chest and tears in her eyes.

"You can do it, Regina," Robin encouraged, readjusting his grip on her hand.

"I can see her head," Whale reported. "Another big push, Regina. You're almost there."

Regina gave yet another push, squeezing her eyes shut and grunting with the effort. She felt years slip down her cheeks and her entire body was shaking with exhaustion.

"Keep pushing," Venus said. "Come on, you're nearly there."

Using the last few ounces of her strength, Regina pushed a few more times, and just when she thought she wasn't going to be able to do anything else, a loud cry filled the room. Regina fell back against the bed with a relieved sigh, glad that her job was, for the most part, done.

Dr. Whale busied himself was cleaning the baby and clamping the cord while Dr. Venus prepared and gave Regina a shot in the thigh that would speed up the delivery of the placenta so that they could stop the bleeding quicker. Regina watched through teary eyes as Dr. Whale took her baby's measurements. She hadn't even gotten to see her yet, just a flash of little hands and feet here and there and of course, she could hear her baby screaming. Robin seemed to have gotten a view though. He was standing, still holding Regina's hand, and he had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"She's beautiful..." Regina heard him murmur.

"Robin, would you like to do the honors?" Dr. Venus asked as she held up a pair of gloves and a pair of scissors.

Robin eagerly nodded and moved to slip the gloves on. He caught Regina's eyes as he took the scissors and she watched as best she could from her view as he cut the cord. Whale then took the baby and led Robin across the room, where daddy helped swaddle his little one and put a pink cap on top of her head.

"Take her to Regina," Whale instructed and Regina watched as the doctor transferred a still crying baby girl into her father's arms. "Lie her on Mom's chest, Dr. Venus will help initiate skin to skin contact."

Robin took his time making his way over to Regina with the baby. He was studying her face and cooing to her, and his voice seemed to be calming her down, for her cries began to turn into soft whimpers.

"Regina, she is absolutely gorgeous," Robin said as he brought their little princess and bent down so Regina could finally, finally see her face. "She looks just like you."

And boy, did she ever. The baby had a head of jet black hair, mostly covered by her pink cap. She had an adorable heart-shaped face, long eyelashes, and plump lips. When she smacked her lips together, however, Regina caught sight of dimples on her cheeks, just like her father.

"She has your dimples," Regina said with a soft chuckle, feeling pressure behind her eyes and suddenly, tears clouded her vision. "She's the prettiest baby I've ever seen."

Regina held her arms out for her baby. She wanted to hold her and never let her go. Venus was there to help Regina pull open her hospital gown and loosen the blanket that the baby was swaddled in. Robin then laid their daughter on Regina's chest and both proud parents watched in amazement as her whimpers ceased to be heard and she snuggled right up against her mother.

Regina gently raised an arm and snaked it beneath the blankets, running her fingers over her child's silky smooth skin.

"She is very beautiful, Regina. What's her name?" Dr. Venus asked.

Regina smiled, looking down at her precious baby girl. "We decided to call her Faith Nadine Locksley," she said.

"Nadine... That's pretty and quite unique," Venus commented.

"It means hope," Regina replied.

"A name with meaning, how nice," Dr. Venus said with a soft chuckle. "Let me get her certificate printed so that I can sign it. Then we'll get her footprint and I'll have you deliver the placenta, and then you're finished."

As Dr. Venus went to get the birth certificate, Robin and Regina admired their daughter. Both of them had fallen completely in love with her. Robin's chair was pushed as close to Regina's bed as possible and he was gingerly stroking Faith's arm.

"I can't get over how beautiful she is," Robin said with a watery smile. "She's just so... perfect."

"She is," Regina agreed, rubbing Faith's slender little back. "I love her so much."

"Me too," Robin said and looked up, managing to catch Regina's eyes. They smiled at each other for a long moment before Robin leaned in and kissed Regina softly. "I love you, too," he murmured against her lips.

"And I, you," Regina replied.

A few moments later, Dr. Venus returned with the birth certificate already signed by her. She carefully got a footprint from little Faith to put on there as well and washed her foot free of the ink. She then handed the certificate to the proud new parents. It read:

 _This certificate certified that Faith Nadine Locksley (female) was born at 6:32 a.m. at the Storybrooke Hospital in Storybrooke, Maine to Robin Locksley and Regina Locksley, weighing 6 lbs 5 oz._

After that, Regina was instructed to push so that Dr. Venus could get the placenta out. The task was not as hard as giving birth to Faith, and certainly didn't hurt as badly. Regina was then covered with a blanket and Venus helped her with getting Faith to breastfeed for the first time. Robin and Regina were then left alone with their child, for which Regina was grateful for, she just wanted some rest and time alone with her baby.

Faith had calmed down considerably. The room was quiet now, and so was she, besides the faint sounds of her suckling. She had caught on to feeding quickly and was luckily getting the nutrition she needed right away. Regina and Robin hadn't taken their eyes off of her yet and watched her, simply mesmerized by the mere act of her suckling and smacking her lips together.

Robin had managed to scoot his way into the bed with Regina. It was luckily big enough for the both of them, and so he laid with the mother of his child. They both sat there with Faith, tenderly stroking her arms and hands.

After a while, Faith had finished nursing and had fallen asleep. Ever so gently, Regina brought her up and laid her head in the crook of her neck. She gingerly removed Faith's cap now that the baby had warmed up and would be cuddled for a time.

Regina nuzzled her nose into Faith's head of thick dark hair, reveling in just how soft it was. She kissed the top of her daughter's head and held her close, smiling as she caught sight of Robin focused on their little bundle of joy, looking so, so in love. He gingerly reached out and caressed Faith's head before leaning in to kiss it and then Regina's cheek.

"I just can't stop looking at her," Robin whispered. "She's just too beautiful...much like her momma."

Regina smiled and allowed her head to slump against Robin, for she was utterly exhausted. Regina couldn't remember a time when she felt more tired than she did now. Not only had she been up all night, but she had been working hard to bring her little princess into the world. Within minutes, both she and her baby were sound asleep, wrapped in Robin's comforting embrace.

When Regina woke up, it was because there was a knock on the door. She looked up to see Robin climbing out of bed. "You might want to close up. I called Emma and had her bring the boys over."

As he made his way towards the door, Regina closed her shirt and swaddled Faith back up into her blanket as carefully as she could without waking her.

She watched as Robin went to the door and opened it, putting a finger to his lips. "You boys must be quiet. Mom and your sister have had a very busy day and they want rest."

Robin quietly ushered the boys inside and even invited Emma in as well to meet the littlest Locksley. The boys rushed over to their mother's bedside, smiling down at their baby sister.

"She's cute," Roland said in awe as he leaned over to get a better look. "She's little, Mommy."

"Yes, she is," Regina agreed. "She's very little, so we have to be very careful with her."

"Why don't you go sit down, boys," Regina said. "Henry, I'll let you hold her first. Be careful with her head. Then give her to Roland, make sure he holds her correctly."

Henry smiled and eagerly held his hands out for his little sister. Regina transferred her into his arms, sticking the cap on top of her head once again. Grinning even wider, Henry took a seat and smiled down at his sister.

"Wow, Mom, she looks just like you," Henry said quietly with a soft laugh.

Roland climbed up into the chair next to Henry and was flanked by Robin who could help assist the younger boy into holding his sister when it was his turn.

"So, what did you name her?" Emma asked as she made her way over and sat down beside her son.

"Faith Nadine," Regina replied. "We wanted something with meaning."

"It's a good choice," Emma said. "Wow, Regina, you and Robin certainly make some good looking babies." Both parents laughed, Henry made a face before smiling down at his baby sister.

After a few moments, he and Robin helped get Roland situated with Faith in his arms. The young boy was taken with his sister, and he looked as if he loved her so much. Roland even bent down and kissed her little forehead before going on and on about how he was going to teach her many things such as how to play hide and seek, how to draw, how to ride a bike. Everyone chuckled in amusement at his explanation.

Hours passed into days, and over that span of time, the Charmings and Tink had come to visit the newest family member of the Locksley family. Regina had proudly shown off her baby, for she had wanted this moment to come since she was a young girl. On the second day, she was finally admitted from the hospital and was allowed to take Faith home with her. They got loaded up in the car and headed home, where the baby was immediately shown to her nursery, bathed, and fed.

The entire day was dedicated to getting her situated in her new home. Copper even got to say hello. He sniffed and sniffed at his new human, very curious about this little creature. Regina was glad that he was good around babies after spending time with Neal, Liam, and Leia so he knew not to jump when someone was carrying Faith inside or down the steps. He knew not to lick her face, either, and he was very protective of her. When Emma had stopped by that day to give Regina some clothes Leia had grown out of, Copper had curled up on the couch and laid his head on Robin's lap, watching Emma's every move. Nobody was going to touch his new human.

That night, Regina was finally going to put Faith to sleep in her beautifully decorated nursery. Robin stood against the threshold, watching his wife rock their baby to sleep. Regina hummed softly and smiled at Robin when she saw him.

She was glad that she had made the decision to ask him to help her have a child. If not, he might have still just been her best friend and Regina would never have her precious baby girl. More importantly, she was thankful for Tinkerbell, who had shown Regina that a little faith, trust, and pixie dust really could lead someone to an abundance of happiness, hope, and joy.

So, that night, as Faith started to fall asleep, Regina decided to tell her her first fairytale, one about a queen and a thief and how they found their happily ever after in a little baby girl.

* * *

 **The end.**


End file.
